76 TREATISE ON 



The following spring, buds that had formed at the origin of the common flower stem, or 

 next to their pedicels, open up & likewise produce flowers & new buds, & do so 

 successively for six or seven years at most. As a result, the branch ramifies & reaches a 

 length of six to eight inches, crooked, knotty, and uneven in thickness. 



A small fruiting branch should be kept intact & not pruned, regardless of the 

 branch that it's on & its orientation. 



Article I V. Pruning a Young Tree. 



At the end of April or the beginning of May, I examine the condition of trees 

 planted during the previous autumn or winter. I'm familiar with all the types of branches 

 on a fruit tree, their uses, and the natural order of their production & their growth. I know 

 that the main consideration in pruning a tree should be to form or to keep all parts of it 

 filled out & well trimmed, to allow the sap to act equally on both sides of it, to achieve 

 uniform strength and breadth, and to keep an eye on the top of the tree so that it doesn't 

 overgrow and on the lower part so that it doesn't thin out. 



FIRST YEAR. An example is a tree like the one shown in Fig. 1 . 1 save branches A, 

 B if they're equally strong. In addition, if the two branches D and E are equal in strength, 

 I save them as well. I pinch off or cut off branches C and //, where H is poorly positioned 

 & C will make one side of the tree stronger than the other. I can keep F and G that are 

 soon to bear fruit. 



