VII 



MAINTAINING THE HEALTH AND ENERGY 

 OF THE APPLE-TREE 



The apple-tree starts life fresh and vigorous. It 

 grows rapidly. The shoots are long and straight. The 

 wood is smooth and fair and supple. The leaves are 

 usually large. It is good to see the young trees acquire 

 size and take shape. 



Room in the ground and in the air is ample with the 

 young apple-tree. It is free to grow. Probably the 

 ground was newly prepared and tilled when the tree was 

 planted ; at least, a hole was dug and fine good earth 

 was placed about the roots. Probably insects had not 

 found permanent encampment on the tree. It had been 

 well pruned, so that it carried the minimum of superfluous 

 and competing parts. 



But in time the difficulties come. The tree probably 

 slows down. It becomes too thick of branches. The land 

 is not tilled. It is not manured. Insects and fungi 

 make headway. The tree overbears. As the years go 

 on, the tree is thrown into alternate bearing, one year a 

 crop too heavy, one year a crop too light. The tree be- 

 comes broken, diseased, gnarly, unshapely. 



We have seen that the fruit-spur in bearing is likely 

 to make a leaf-bud for the next year's activities rather 

 than a flower-bud. It is assumed that the making of a 



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