118 Flow to Sccure Good Form. 
that the weight of the [fruit is well sustained. This idea, how- 
ever, is not allowed to go so far as to wholly close the interior 
of the tree, but to retain such degree of open interior as is found 
desirable. When the tree is laden with fruit, the weight natu- 
rally expands the top quite enough to admit the sunlight without 
exposing either the fruit or the branches to danger of burn- 
ing. Thus it appears that instead of the true vase or wine-glass, 
with hollow interior and thin walls, we have the general exterior 
outline of this model, but give a good part of the central area of 
the figure to bearing shoots, and thus secure a large bearing 
surface with well-strengthened supports. 
It has been found that this many-branching form, developed 
upon a few main branches well placed upon the trunk, gives a 
stronger tree than can be had by growing a considerable num- 
ber of leaders, all starting from near the point where the tree was 
headed at planting. Such leaders crowd each other at the point 
of emergence from the stem, and when laden with fruit, sway 
outward and break out at this point. A vastly stronger tree is 
secured by starting but four or five branches from the low trunk 
and letting them emerge from different sides of the stem, and at 
different levels. Thus each main attachment to the stem has 
abundant room, and the wood enlarges symmetrically and sol- 
idly. The expansion of the top is attained by the branching 
which follows the cutting back of succeeding years. Starting 
branches from nearly the same level on the stem has been the 
occasion of great losses of overladen trees, and quite a consid- 
erable recourse to strengthening up weak trees by running bolts 
through from side to side at the points where experience shows 
breakage is likely to occur. In this respect it is now clearly 
seen that the practise which was widely adopted a few years ago 
of beginning with a very short stem and using the three or four 
adjacent buds nearest the point to which the tree was cut back 
at planting is defective. It is much better not to cut back so 
far at planting, but to leave a longer trunk, keep a greater distance 
between the main branches and still have the lowest branch as 
near the ground as before. thus securing a tree which is prac- 
tically as low as that secured by the old method of starting. This 
point will be enforced by illustrations. 
HOW TO SECURE THE DESIRABLE FORM. 
For the benefit of the inexperienced reader, it will be well 
to illustrate the steps by which the form of tree found so gener- 
ally desirable is to be attained. 
Cutting Back at Planting —This has been shown on page 112 
to be essential to strong growth of the transplanted tree. It is 
also the prime act in securing a tree with a low head and 
