ABOUT FRUITS, FLOWERS AND FARMING. 237 



leaf does not depend for its quality on the wood, but the 

 wood takes its nature from the leaf. Young trees ought 

 to be grown with side brush from the roots to the fork. 

 Water shoots from the root are to be removed, but leaves 

 upon the trunk are to be nursed. By cutting in the brush 

 when it tends to a long growth, it will emit side shoots, and 

 still increase the number of leaves. 



Secondly. There is great evil in pruning too much. 

 France and England have given us our notions upon prun- 

 ing. There, their own system is wise, because it conforms 

 to the climate and soil. But their system of pruning is to- 

 tally uncongenial with our seasons and the habits of our 

 trees. In England, for instance, the peach will not ripen in 

 open grounds, except, perhaps, in the extreme southern 

 counties. In consequence, it is trained upon walls, and its 

 wood thinned, to let light and heat upon every part of it. 

 It is very right to husband light and heat when it is scarce, 

 and by opening the head of a tree to carry them to all parts 

 of the sluggish wood. But we often have more than we want. 

 A peach will ripen, on the lowest limb and inside of the 

 tree, by the mere heat of the atmosphere. Even in New 

 England, the English system of pruning proves too free. 

 Manning says, " From the strong growth of fruit-trees in 

 our country and the dryness of its atmosphere, severe prun- 

 ing is less necessary here than in England." We are not 

 giving rules for pruning ; but cautions against pruning too 

 freely. There is not a single point in fruit cultivation where 

 more mistakes are committed than in pruning. 



Thirdly. Great mistakes are committed in stimulating the 

 growth of trees by enriching the soil. Books direct (and 

 men naturally and innocently obey), the putting of manure 

 to young trees. We have no doubt that the time will 

 come, when manures will be so thoroughly analyzed and 

 classified, that we can employ them just as a carpenter does 

 his tools, or the farmer his implements ; if we wish wood* 

 we shall apply certain ingredients to the soil and have it ; 



