THE APPLE. 375 



the crack of the bark of the young tree, or by the warts on 

 the roots, wash the roots thoroughly in tobacco water, and 

 paint the stem and branches with whitewash, composed of 

 soap-suds, thickened with quick lime. You will thus be 

 free from this pest to begin with ; afterwards every place 

 where they appear should be coated with this paint. This, 

 on moderate size trees, is an effectual remedy, and besides a 

 beneficial application to the tree. Some trees, like the 

 Meigs, are seldom troubled with the aphis, while the Early 

 May is almost always infested with them. When the 

 aphis infests the roots it is best destroyed by uncovering 

 the roots, and pouring strong tobacco water upon them 

 wherever affected. In prunning the young tree, the first 

 object is to make it throw out shoots near the earth to 

 shield the trunk from the sun. All fruit trees should be 

 thus trained. J^ever let a fruit tree be bare of branches 

 more than twelve inches from the ground, or allow it to 

 shoot up with a long naked stem. Peaches, pears, plums, 

 &c., are all more healthy and productive thus trained. 

 This is effected by shortening or pinching the upper 

 shoots, for which sufficient directions are give in our 

 article on the * Pear.' The apple, however, does not gene- 

 rally require as close shortening in of its leading shoot as 

 the pear. All needless branches, and those which inter- 

 fere by crossing and rubbing against each other, should be 

 removed while small. If a large limb is removed, cover 

 the stump with grafting wax, or the shellac solution. 



Gathering the Fruit. — Those intended for keeping or 

 sending to market, should be carefully pid'cd from the tree, 

 and handled with great care, to prevent bruising. Those 

 that fall of themselves must be kept separate, as the least 

 bruise will cause decay. They must be frequently looked 

 over, and every one the least decayed, must be carefully 

 removed, or it will infect the others. They should be 



