THE APPLE 159 



others' paths, one of them should be severed at a point just above 

 the rings. Strong shoots must be shortened by cutting off about 

 one-fourth of their length, medium shoots must be similarly 

 shortened to one-half their length, while very weak shoots must 

 be cut back to a point two buds removed from the rings. In 

 all cases the shoot is cut through just above a vegetative bud, 

 and the particular bud selected must be so situated that the 

 twig resulting from it will grow in such a direction that it will 

 keep the tree open and will not interfere with the growth of 

 other twigs and branches. As a rule this direction should be 

 centrifugal. 



Summer pruning consists in pinching out those shoots of 

 the current season's growth which are not required for the growth 

 of the tree. The shoots are 

 shortened so as to leave 

 only about four buds. 



Trees which send down 

 deeply into the soil one or 

 more large roots generally 

 exhibit exuberant vegetative 

 growth, accompanied by 

 greatly diminished fruit-pro- 

 ducing power. To remedy 

 this condition of affairs the The codling moth and caterpillar ' 



tree should be root pruned ; that is to say, we must endeavour 

 to encourage the production of more fibrous roots by severing 

 the above-mentioned thick roots. The operation is effected in 

 November. A circle of about three feet radius is described 

 round the tree as centre, and a trench is taken out all round 

 to a depth of three " spits." The earth from the top spit 

 is put in one heap, that from the second in another, and that 

 from the lowest in a third. In taking out the third spit the 

 spade is worked obliquely inwards so as to remove the earth 

 under the centre of the tree and expose all large roots. These 

 are cut through with the spade, care being taken not to disturb 

 more than can be helped the large mass of soil which is adhering 

 to the finer roots. The earth is then replaced in the reverse 

 order to that in which it was taken from the trench. At the 



