29 



invariably somewhat bruised and the cambium-layer under- 

 neath crushed. A keen cut with the knife has none of 

 this nipping action, but leaves the bark perfect aifd in 

 close contact with the underlying wood right up to the line 

 of section. No careful grower who has examined with a 

 lens the rough clip of the secateur, and compared it with 

 the clean section of the knife, will ever use the former 

 rough and ready implement upon his young plantlings 

 while in the infant stage, whatever he may do subsequently 

 in coarser work. And yet another caution. It seems 

 almost absurd to add when cutting transplants back to 

 the determined height, take care not to pull them . loose 

 from their seat in the soft earth with a jerking cut. Yet 

 one sees this thoughtless trick done times without number. 

 Hold the stem firmly with the left hand, while making the 

 sloping cut discreetly with just enough force and no more 

 to bring the edge through. So shall your care in planting 

 not be stultified by thoughtlessness in the next operation. 



31. We have pointed out that fruit tree culture is essen- 

 tially a formative art. The trees we plant are not left to 

 take their natural growth, but are compelled to follow the 

 artificial conditions which long experience and observation 

 have shown to make for the cultivator's advantage. The 

 first of these interferences enforced upon the tree's life tends 

 to shape it into some one of certain compact and convenient 

 forms. In this country there is only one form of general 

 application. The tree is worked into a more or less inverted 

 cone, the main axis of growth being suppressed, and 

 secondary branch-growths encouraged to spring outwards 

 and upwards from the point of suppression or near it. Ulti- 

 mately the tree presents an outline more or less completely 

 Y-shaped, variations arising merely from the greater 

 or less angle formed by the chief branches with the line of 

 axis, and the amount of bearing wood allowed to develope 

 inward and outward of the cone. The chief exception to 

 this general plan is the orange and lemon series of fruit 

 trees, where it is essential to their well-doing that the axis 

 be not suppressed. But with other fruit trees, the inverted 

 cone system should be almost universal. Just as our Cape 

 vines are invariably pruned up en golelet, to use the 

 French Tine-dresser's phrase, with a short centre stock and 



