23 



THE AET OP 



should be dipped in mud, or in a mixture of soft clay and cow- 

 dung, which will prevent them from suffering by being kept 

 out of the ground. The soil should be well pressed down 

 after planting. Watering will generally be necessary the first 

 year only, and then chiefly at the commencement of 

 vegetation. 



Cutting down the Stem, 



During the first year we confine ourselves to the culture 

 and care of the plant. We will suppose that it is intended 

 for a tall standard : we will speak further on of low stocks. 

 After the first year of growth, or before the second commences, 

 the plant intended for a tall standard is cut down to within 

 two inches from the surface of the soil. This operation should 

 not be performed until the month of February or March, when 

 the sap is at rest and the winter frosts are no longer to be 

 feared. During the summer we select the finest shoot which 

 has sprang from the stump, and bend and tie it up to the 

 stump, so as to give it a vertical position. All the other shoots 

 are cut away; and in autumn the stump itself is cut away. 

 Should it be found difficult to fasten the shoot properly to the 

 stump, a stake may be used instead. The following year the 

 young tree will be allowed to grow on. If it should turn out 

 badly, it must be cut down a second time, or else grafted at 

 the base with a vigorous kind, which, when it has grown 

 sufficiently, will furnish a suitable stock. This cutting down 

 is, of course, unnecessary in the case of fine, stout, vigorous, 

 and straight stocks ; but with doubtful subjects it is better to 

 practise it. 



Trimming the Young Stoch. 



This consists in cutting off the useless branches. In general, 

 the strong ones are removed altogether, being cut close to the 

 stem; the medium-sized are shortened, and the weak ones 



