FRUITS. CHAP. 



bending, you cannot prevent a branch throwing out wood, 

 top it and pinch off the side buds when they are bursting:, 

 and it will then tend to fruit. 



231. Sixth : The duration and the strength of a tree 

 depend upon an equality existing constantly between its 

 head and its roots, as well as between the different parts of 

 its head. You should never, therefore, cut back a tree 

 to its main limbs or to its trunk unless there be a corre- 

 sponding deficiency in the roots, either from old age or 

 from accident. This proves the necessity of pruning very 

 short on transplanting. If one part of the branches, by 

 strong growth, take the sap destined for the other part, 

 these decline rapidly, and finish by complete decay, in 

 which they do not fail to involve the whole tree. 



232. Seventh : The more a tree is forced into bearing, 

 the more it is exhausted ; but the more it is suffered to 

 put forth wood, the more it is vigorous. This principle 

 proves that we should never suffer a tree to become over- 

 loaded with fruit- branches, or that we expose ourselves 

 to lose it altogether in a few years, or, at least, to see it 

 barren for one, two, or even three, years. But an intel- 

 ligent gardener will always take care to provide an even- 

 quantity of branches both for wood and fruit j and the 

 result will be that he will have a greater quantity of 

 fruit, and of finer quality, and that he may rest assured 

 of this annually without injuring the tree or shortening its 

 duration. 



233. These principles are applicable to all fruit-trees, 

 but there is another which applies more particularly to 



