60 TREATISE ON FRUIT TREES. 



"If by chance a rather vigorous branch happens to emerge from the base of one of 

 these old trees & it's able to renew the tree, it must be treated with this in mind. It must be 

 carefully saved to replace the old branches that are gradually eliminated. But if it comes 

 out of an old branch, it must be removed. I've nothing more to say about these old trees 

 except that they should be husbanded in spite of their old age only when they still 

 produce good fruit. As soon as this is no longer the case, they must be pulled up. 



"The second stage trees that are fully productive are the ones that create our 

 wealth and they deserve the most careful attention. Most gardeners who work 

 unscrupulously, injudiciously, & without forethought manage them in a way that soon 

 leads to their ruin 



"The pruning operation is the one that contributes most of all to the trees' 

 permanence. Keep them well filled out but don't overburden them. That's the whole art of 

 pruning. It seems quite simple, but there are problems regarding the selection of 

 branches, the tree's own effort, the type of fruit, & many other situations for which there 

 are applicable rules. I won't discuss at all special cases which only can be resolved on the 

 spot & learned only by experience. 



"Everyone has his own method & performs the pruning according to his own 

 ideas. Some prune all branches hard. (Those who do that forego plentiful fruit & wear out 

 the roots of their trees.) Others lengthen the branches that they intend to yield fruit & 

 leave spurs to provide branches the following year. (This is Brother Philippe's method) 

 Mine is completely different 



"With my tree in good condition, after the branches have been loosened from 

 espalier 



