iSyi.] THE FATES OF FRUIT-TREES. ' 19 



excessive root-pruning of old wall-trees on a dry bottom and light soil. 

 It is a final effort between death and life. The constitutions of many- 

 trees are ruined while young by excessive cutting of root and branch. 

 It is well known that the most inveterate of weeds, with roots of 

 strong vital tenacity, such as Horse-radish, the common Bind-weed, or 

 Ash-weed, will yield to repeated cuttings of the tops ; and if weeds 

 sufi'er death from continued cutting, it is but reasonable to infer that 

 fruit-trees may have at least their constitution much impaired by 

 excessive pruning. The condition of the dwarfed fruit-tree in a pot, 

 with no pruning at all, is much more natural, and more compatible 

 with continued health and fruitfulness, than the same tree under the 

 knife in the open ground. The former is like many a Scotch Pine or 

 Birch, dwarf and stunted, grown out of the clefts of the rocks or on 

 an old wall top, healthy and whole in all their parts, though dwarfed 

 by the conditions of their existence. The oldfashioned and unnatu- 

 ral system of disbudding away the young wood of Peach-trees is fast 

 losing favour. This Avas the prolific source of bare and blind wood 

 in the middle of the tree, especially with certain sorts, such as No- 

 blesse, which after a time will scarcely make growth except from the 

 points of the branches, the growth yearly going further from home. 

 A lot of excellent specimens of this good old system of management 

 is now under our care. We shall begin with young trees, and give 

 them ample liberty to extend so far as winter-pruning is concerned, 

 preserve an abundance of outlet for the energies of the trees by pinch- 

 ing the foreshoots instead of disbudding them, as well as laying in 

 sufiicient young wood, also pinching the leading shoots at the proper 

 time and distance to encourage lateral growth — thus reducing disbud- 

 ding to a minimum. We sometimes hear of astonishing crops of Figs 

 secured by allowing the foreshoots to extend at liberty from the 

 walls ; in the south, however, also of wonderful crops of Morello 

 Cherries. The same treatment would be found to answer with refrac- 

 tory old Pear-trees, with the exception that the young wood must be 

 partially tied in. The philosophy of the fruitfulness of the modern cor- 

 don on the French Apple of Paradise stock, and Eivers's patent selected 

 ditto, is, that the knife is not required. So soon as it has to be 

 brought into requisition disappointment ensues. Our old orchard 

 standards, such as the Marie Louise before mentioned, innocent of the 

 knife, are those which fill the market. Let us therefore, on whatever 

 stock we grow our fruit-trees, whether free or dwarf, do so without 

 abusing the nature of the tree, give them liberty, and cut with caution. 

 The fates of fruit-trees are like those of nations — the vicissitudes of 

 their existence are guided by those who wield the knife. There is 

 the despotic era, when the subject must be managed by laws as stern 



