120 TREATMENT OF THE 



foot be placed upon the soil close to the bole, 

 in order to prevent it from being drawn up, 

 by the force which is used in the operation. 

 Care must be taken to have a sharp knife, 

 that the cut be as smooth and even as possi- 

 ble, and in a sloping direction towards the 

 wall; the cut must be made half an inch 

 above the bud which is selected for the lead- 

 ing shoot. 



When the tree is headed down, it must be 

 done so, that seven buds remain upon the 

 stem which is left. If the tree be a weak 

 one, let it be pruned down so that three eyes 

 remain; but a strong tree is far the best, 

 and in Apples is very readily procured, as 

 they generally grow vigorously. 



After heading down, it must be secured to 

 the wall by a shred and nail, allowing a suffi- 

 ciency of room in the shred for the wood to 

 swell. The horizontal method of training is 

 preferable to all others for Apple trees against 

 walls. 



Summer Pruning. — A tree cut down as di- 

 rected, and every bud pushing, which will 

 generally be the case, they must all be per- 

 mitted to grow until they have attained three 

 inches in length, when two of them must be 

 rubbed off, those to be rubbed off are the 

 third and fourth buds counting upwards from 

 the origin of the tree. 



The uppermost shoot must be trained 

 straight up the wall for a leading stem, and 



