64 TREATISE ON 



A new coat should not be put on until the preceding one has thoroughly dried. Strong 

 sunlight & rain aren't suitable for this job. When the laths are ready, it's better first to 

 paint them with two coats before using them, & to put on the third coat when the trellis is 

 finished. Once they're painted on all four surfaces, they'll resist the harmful effects of 

 exposure to air for a longer time. 



chapter i v. 



On Pruning Fruit trees. 



Article I. On Times for Pruning. 



The two purposes in pruning fruit trees are their beauty and their fecundity. The latter 

 depends on flower buds & the former on branch buds. If a clear distinction isn't made 

 between these two kinds of buds on the tree being pruned, there's a risk that one will be 

 retained at the expense of the other. So the moment when this distinction is made is the 

 right time to prune. As a result, for all trees with buds that have the proper characteristics 

 as soon as their leaves have fallen, for young trees that have no flower buds at all, and for 

 weak or declining trees that are not expected to yield much fruit, the procedure can be 

 performed from mid-November until March without fear of the wood being damaged by 

 frost. For other trees, it's postponed until the first run of sap lengthens the branch buds & 

 swells the flower buds. This allows a distinction not only between one and the other but 

 even between those flower buds that will be productive and those that won't produce any 

 fruit at all, as happens on some trees. Usually this first run of sap takes place from mid- 

 February 



