244 Principles of Plant Culture. 
Newly-planted strawberry-, raspberry- and blackberry plants 
usually make better growth the first season if the flower- 
buds are picked off. The removal of flowers in the potato 
plant tends to stimulate the growth of tubers, especially in 
varieties that form seed. The removal of flower-buds from 
cuttings in the propagating bed encourages the formation 
of roots. Topping (416c) tobacco and rhubarb plants causes 
the leaves to grow larger, and of onion plants stimulates 
growth of the bulbs. Detasseling corn (416d) encourages 
growth of the ears. Thinning fruit, (416k) on plants that 
incline to overbear, causes the remaining fruits to grow 
larger. 
428, b—Pruning for Flowers or Fruit. Since check- 
ing growth tends to stimulate the formation of flower-buds 
(135), we encourage flowering in plants that incline to lux- 
uriant growth, by pruning that tends to check vigor. This 
may be accomplished, 
(1) By pinching the terminal buds during the growth period, 
as is often practiced upon tardy-bearing fruit trees, or 
upon seedling fruit trees of which it is desirable to early 
learn the quality of the fruit. To be successful, it must be 
performed rather early in the growing season, and before the 
time for the formation of flower-buds. The blossoms do not 
usually appear until the season fullowing the pinching. 
With plants that flower at the terminal- growing points of 
the principal branches, as the spirseas, hydrangeas, rhodo- 
dendrons etc., pinching to promote flowering is not advisable. 
(2) By cutting back the new growth. Woody plants that 
flower on wood more than one year old, as the apple, pear, 
currant etc., when grown on rich or well-cultivated ground, 
or that have been too severely pruned, often tend to produce 
an excess of new wood with a very feeble development of 
