330 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



THE ORCHARD. 



ROOT PRUNING. 



The experiments were made on the apple and pear. A vigorous apple tree, 

 eight or ten years old, which had scarcely made any fruit buds, has done best 

 when about half the roots were cut in one season, and half three years later, 

 by going half way around on opposite sides in one year, and finishing at the 

 next pruning, — working two feet underneath to sever downward roots. It has 

 always answered well, also, to cut from such trees all the larger and longer roots 

 about two and a half feet from the stem, leaving the smaller and weaker ones 

 longer, and going half way around, as already stated. The operation was 

 repeated three or four years later by extending the cut circle a foot or two 

 further away from the tree. By this operation unproductive fruit trees 

 became completely studded with fruit spurs, and afterwards bore profusely. 

 This shortening of the roots has been continued in these experiments for 

 twenty years with much success, the circle of roots remaining greatly circum- 

 scribed. The best time for the work has been found to be in the latter part of 

 August and beginning of September, when growth has nearly ceased and while 

 the leaves are yet on the trees, causing greater increase of bloom buds the fol- 

 lowing year than when performed after the leaves have fallen. — London Garden. 



GIRDLING FOR FRUIT. 



I have often thought how pleasant it would be to me to visit my old agricult- 

 ural and horticultural friends in this State, and look over their homes and 

 farms and households, could I spare the time and means. I have recently 

 indulged in two such visits, one to friend Drury's fine farm in this county, and 

 one to friend Spaulding's model and premium nursery farm, at Riverton in 

 Sangamon county, and I enjoyed it. 



The judgment with which Mr. Spaulding has selected and prepared his 

 grounds, as well as the well-known care and skill and success with which 

 everything on the place is managed, indoors and out, most plainly shows that 

 they are one " right family in the right place," and I hope there are multi- 

 tudes more of them in our beautiful State. 



Several hundred acres of the best woodland soil natural to trees have been 

 selected, and the central parts of it thoroughly underdrained, even where quite 

 dry and sloping, and covered with the finest and most perfectly healthy and 

 well-grown fruit trees and nursery stock I have ever seen. The fruit trees at 

 this time are a sight good for sore eyes. The first item is some 14,000 bearing 

 apple trees with scarce a blemished or defective tree among them, and so loaded 

 with such fine fruit, even those not three inches through, that they remind one 

 of the gardens of Hesperides, except that no hideous dragon lies at the gate to 

 guard them ; but every one who came was welcome to his basket full, and the 

 teams and men were hauling them to the watering mouths in the city as fast 

 as possible. 



