220 Practical Orcharding On Rough Lands, 



for the renewal of the bearing wood in the 

 centers of our old trees. Then when limbs are 

 removed and these sprouts make their appear- 

 ance, let us remember first that they are at- 

 tempting to protect the tree, as well as to re- 

 new or rebuild the portions removed. 



Treatment of Water Sprouts.— When a 



tree is in this condition we should study it and 

 see how many of these water sprouts are actu- 

 ally necessary in order that the tree may be 

 protected. If we find a bunch of, say four or 

 five shading a certain portion of the tree, we 

 may remove a part of them, and then applying 

 the first principles of pruning — the multiplica- 

 tion of branches — we should cut the remaining 

 ones back, leaving six or eight inches (as the 

 position on the tree may suggest) of the young 

 growth. 



These stubs will throw out branches which 

 will shade as much or more surface, as all the 

 original cluster. Besides multiplying the 

 braihes by cutting .hem back, we hale Lsed 

 them to take a firmer hold on the body of the 

 tree and they will not be so easily broken oflf. 

 The shortening of the stem has added to its 

 strength or ability to hold the weight of crops 

 in future years. The next season these sprouts 

 that have grown one year and then been cut 



