126 THE CANADIAN HOrvTICULTURIST. 



f-liould be. In a tree, however, as in society, there ought to be a leader 

 "We recognize and respect the leader in the pear tree, and we ought to in 

 the apple tree. We make three serious objections to the prevailing method 

 of trimming. Cutting out the central leaders we injure the symmetry of 

 the tree ; we weaken it and make it liable to split ; and the fruit is not so 

 well exposed to air and light. If the centre is preserved, the side branches 

 are well joined to the trunk like the thumb to your hand, and will bear a 

 strain ; if the centre is removed the branches grow like the fingers of your 

 hand, and do not bear a strain so well. The inverted umbrella shape looks 

 open on the start, but as the limbs develop the south side branches take the 

 sun, shading the north side ; the light and air are not as well admitted as 

 when the bi'anches shoot out literally from a central column. 



DISTAKCE IX THE ROWS. 



It is a grave question how far apart trees should be planted. There is 

 some reason to believe that apple trees twenty feet apart, pi-operly thinned 

 ;and shortened in, will yield more fruit to the acre than if planted thirty five 

 feet apart. Tops must be open and trees must not crowd each other. 

 Planted near together, they must be rigidly shortened in — dwarfed in a 

 measure. Each year's growth must be cut back to two or three buds, and 

 the top held to the space allotted to it, so there shall be no crowding. 

 Now, will not this cutting back produce fruitfulness, as with the grape 

 vinel Will not the wood be firmer, the tree harder, and the fruitiiig 

 better for this circumvention 1 One thing is certain, the trees being 

 numerous draw more evenly from the soil. Being smaller in size, they do 

 not draw so heavily from their immediate locality. The draft on the soil 

 is more evenly distributed. Two or three significant facts confirm this 

 theory. One of the most noted orchards in the State, the Smead orchard, 

 of Pavillion, gave $1,370 worth of fruit in 1862, $4,100 in 1864, and 

 $4,500 worth of fruit in 1865, and consists of six acres^ planted less than 

 twenty feet apart. The only other orchard we can bear of that makes as 

 good a showing is an orchai'd of ti-ees belonging to Mr. Connable, of Warsaw, 

 which in several different years has yielded $1,000 worth of fruit ; it is 

 ^Iso planted less than twenty feet apart. A theory with such a backing 

 may well be looked into. 



EEPLY TO INQUIKY CONCEENING TAP-EOOTS, PAGE 88. 



Mr. J. A. Mackay, Winona, writes, in answer to Mr. J. "W. 

 Cumming :— " Forty-five years ago a road was cut through the old 

 Jesuit orchard at Quebec. The trees were said to be over a hundred 

 years old, .and though neglected were said to bear well. Under each 

 tree was ,a flag of magnesian limestone, which must have been brought 

 from a distance/' 



