244 Practical Orcharding On Rough Lands. 



Summary. — ^To sum up the subject of Prun- 

 ing we would say have an ideal. When think- 

 ing of an ideal we call to mind an exhibit at 

 one of our great World's Fairs. If we as or- 

 chardists could have our ideal as plain in our 

 mind as those who grew and trained those 

 specimens must have had, and would follow it 

 with the same persistency as the work exhibited 

 showed *ey had, our success would be assured. 

 It was an exhibit of apple, peach and pear 

 trees trained against the wall, or on trellises. 

 They grew as flat against these objects as if 

 they had been grape vines, notwithstanding this 

 artificial or forced habit of growth was one as 

 foreign to their nature as could be imagined, 

 it had all been brought about without leaving 

 a single scar, or mark of knife, shear or saw. 

 We love to think of those living, growing 

 ideals, not simply because of their beauty, but 

 because we were able to look beyond and back 

 of them and see some one who had his ideal. 

 So firmly and plainly was this fixed in his 

 mind's eye that he could anticipate the growth 

 of every bud and when one formed which 

 promised or threatened to go in the wrong 

 direction it was removed. If a branch were 

 growing too long, the end was removed and the 

 branches thereby multiplied. This is not prac- 



