FRUIT TREES. Chap. IV. 95 



the best situated and best separated to grow successfully without damaging each other 

 have been selected, the surplus ones are disposed of & the branch is cut back as far as the 

 shoot above or next to the uppermost fruit. Shoots next to the fruit below them are 

 pinched off or curtailed, i.e. cut with the fingernail to leave a stub the thickness of two 

 coins. If two shoots have originated next to the fruit, one is split for propagation & the 

 other is pinched off. If shoots have grown out near the origin of the branch below the 

 fruit, one or two of the lowest ones are saved if the wood is needed there. If not, only the 

 one at the tip of the branch is kept, which is necessary for drawing sap to the fruit that it 

 bears. All shoots not accompanied by fruit are pinched off. 



However, since up to about the middle of June the trees themselves drop the fruit 

 that they can't sustain, & since bad weather, insects, sunshine, and mishaps make it fall 

 off at the time that the shoots are pinched off, it's better to remove only the ones that 

 could persist to the detriment of others, or that themselves can come to no good, & to 

 postpone removal of the others until the training period. This is especially true if a very 

 vigorous tree needed them to absorb an excess of sap. At that stage, only those that can 

 attain the beauty suited to the fruit of espalier trees are to be kept, without concern for 

 losing the bulk of the produce. A modest amount of large fruit of good quality is the 

 equivalent of more small fruit in firmness & ordinarily greatly surpasses it in quality. I 

 say ordinarily because there are types of fruit where the smaller ones are just as good as 

 the larger. The tree is left to bear them on its own. Besides, this removal is hardly ever 

 performed except for peaches, pears, apples, and apricots. For the latter, it should be done 

 from May onward. Similarly, it's better to pinch offshoots 



