CULTTTEE AFTKE A CEOP. 121 



effected by this. The hogs will fatten on the decayed and 

 imperfect fruit, and multitudes of embryo insects will be 

 destroyed. Besides they will root about the trees, and 

 do almost as much good as a plowing. If there are no 

 hogs at hand, the refuse should be gathered up and re- 

 moved ; but this is seldom done ; and the more common 

 way is to leave all on the ground, and run the risk. 



The next thing is, to remove carefully all feeble, dead, 

 and broken limbs. This should quickly follow tlie peach 

 harvest. The feeble limbs are such as are near the ground, 

 on lower branches, and have been so far deprived of the 

 sap by the upper and more vigorous ones as to become 

 unfruitful. They would soon die at any rate, and it is 

 better to remove them at once, and thus give more room, 

 as well as more sap to the thrifty and fruit-bearing ones. 

 After a bountiful crop, many broken limbs will be found ; 

 sometimes even the whole tree will be demolished, and 

 apparently ruined. By careful and judicious pruning, 

 however, much may be done to repair the injury and re- 

 store the tree to its former beauty and productiveness. In 

 a healthy tree, the vital forces of the roots are in exact 

 proportion to the superficial drafts of the top. When the 

 top is partially removed, the demand on the root is just 

 so far diminished. There is then a superabundance of 

 vital power, continually seeking a channel in an effort to 

 restore the proper equilibrium. In consequence of this, 

 the remaining branches are stimulated to extraordinary 

 growth, and new buds shoot, and new branches are form- 

 ed. If the whole top has been removed, the disparity be- 

 tween the root and the stem is so great that the latter puts 

 out buds in all directions, and soon becomes one mass of 

 twigs and leaves. In this way shade trees are often trained, 

 their foliage thickened, and their appearance improved. By 

 attention to this principle in arboriculture, the injured fruit- 

 tree mav soon be almost restored to its original beauty 

 and usefulness. We have seen this illustrated at least 



