38 
THE APPLE. 
strongest is not only Nature’s law in regard to different plants, but the 
different members of the same plant or limb of the same tree. 
Left entirely to themselves, the strong branches of apples overmaster 
and destroy the weak. This results in a lack of symmetry and a loss 
of space. The trainer, by generalising growing force to the utmost, gives 
to each part its due portion of food in season, and ends the rivalry of the 
boughs by satisfying all. He also prevents them from crossing, over¬ 
shadowing, or injuring each other. No dense shadow of leaves and 
spray here, no waste vacant area there. All the space allotted to the 
tree is fully occupied, without injury to other trees or to any part of 
the same tree. The tree is also so formed and trained that the showers 
can refresh and the dews nourish the whole of it. 
Untrained trees suffer incalculable injury from the upper portions 
shedding off the rains and the dews from the under ; growth is weakly, 
fruit small and worthless on the lower parts of apple trees, very often 
from this unsuspected cause. By developing the lower limbs the most, 
the whole tree is equally watered and nourished, and the produce alike 
good over its entire area. Light, heat, and moisture have free access 
to every part of the tree; and hence each one, of whatever form, grows 
up under skilful training a model of health, beauty, and fertility. Of 
course this perfect model is not always reached in practice, but nothing 
else and nothing less should satisfy the cultivator and lover of apples. 
Pruning. 
Peitning differs from training, inasmuch as all pruning removes growth 
already made. It is the removal of part of the stem, branches, leaves, or 
roots. Much of the necessity of pruning arises from the neglect of early 
and better training. What correction is in moral training, pruning is to 
plant life and growth. Bad habits, principles, diseases, can only be 
eradicated by suffering. So wrongly-placed, useless w'ood has to be 
removed by pruning. It is cut away in order that better-placed or 
different and better growths may come in its place. Nevertheless, 
pruning, though needful at times even to perfect training, represents 
a waste of force. Had the growth been properly watched and moulded 
in the making, the probability is that none of it would have had to be 
removed. But, taking things as we find them, a certain amount of 
pruning may be held to be needful. The fancies of trainers, the limi- 
