TRANSACTIONS OF ALTON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 289 



he came to look for it, it was not to be found. They had at his house a 

 pet squirrel, and the supposition was that "Bobby" had recognized the 

 fitness of the thing for his own use, and so had appropriated it to make 

 his nest ! 



Mr. Hayden said that he had apple trees that were unfruitful. He 

 had tried in various ways to bring them into bearing. He had an idea 

 that it was from lack of some quality in the soil. He had a notion that 

 the application of ashes would be beneficial. 



Dr. Hull replied that the application of ashes or other manure 

 would probably only increase the difficulty.* The trouble already was 

 that the tree was growing too rapidly, so much so that there were no fruit 

 buds formed. The wood growth should be checked in some way. He 

 would do this by root-pruning. It was folly to cut away at the top of the 

 tree and neglect the roots. Prune both root and top, and you will get fruit. 



Mr. Starr — I believe in very little pruning. When I do prune I 

 cut clear back to the body of the tree, but get along with as little pruning 

 as possible. I would not allow a man to go into my orchard and prune 

 in the ordinary way, if he would do it for nothing. I say, prune, but 

 prune sparingly ; and I have every year less and less faith in this indis- 

 criminate cutting away in the head of an apple tree. 



Mr. Hayden said that he had one variety of apple that did not fruit 

 satisfactorily. He attributed the failure, in part at least, to the fact that 

 it had not been sufficiently trimmed. It had a very thick head of 

 branches. The fruit was shaded out. 



Mr. Starr — I do not think that this is the cause of the tree not 

 fruiting. 



Dr. Hull — I do not think Mr. Starr's practice agrees altogether 

 with his teaching ; for I passed his orchard a short time since, and I do 

 not know where I have seen an orchard of apple trees in a better 

 condition. His trees are certainly presenting a very fine appearance, 

 and, I would say, had been very judiciously trimmed. 



* I once was looking through an orchard with the owner, when we came upon two 

 large, fine-looking Newtown Pippin trees, standing side by side, which he said never 

 bore more than a peck apiece. Having noticed a large pile of leached ashes near his 

 house, I advised him to put four or five barrow loads under one of the trees, and ilig it 

 well in, as far out as the branches extendecl. He did so, and a year from the following 

 autumn I again visited this orchard and found the tree which had been treated with the 

 ashes loaded with the finest Newtown Pippins that I ever saw, while the other tree had, 

 as usual, but few apples. 



This orchard was on rich hazel land, almost surrounded by timber, and was about 

 twenty years old. It was, on the whole, one of the best orchards, if not the best, in the 

 county. It had been in timothy and blue grass for several years. — Editor. 

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