Practical Orcharding On Rough Lands, 1 53 



door of the orchardist. When a tree has de- 

 veloped leaf, wood and flower buds, it has done 

 its part in the attempt to reproduce itself, and it 

 often happens in this day of fungous and in- 

 sect troubles that unless the orchardist is con- 

 siderate enough to furnish some protection, 

 these delicate flowers will fade and fall, leav- 

 ing the tree bare of fruit. This matter of pro- 

 tection of flowers will be treated more fully 

 under the subject of Spraying. 



However, if the trees have failed to blossom, 

 but having made and ripened the wood growth 

 at the expense of fruit production, it will be- 

 come necessary that the grower should change 

 the course of its energies and direct them 

 towards fruit production by discouraging the 

 wood growth. Remembering that there cannot 

 be any formation of flower buds until wood 

 growth ceases. As long as switches continue to 

 increase their length there will be no flower buds 

 formed^ so it follows that the growth must cease 

 or be checked. There are many ways in which 

 this may be done. Anything we do to lessen 

 the supply of plant food for the tree will have 

 a tendency to cause it to form flower buds. 

 Whether it be the cessation of cultivation, or 

 the growing of some moisture robbing plant, 

 as has been already described in the case of 



