122 ORCHARDS. 



Borsdorff (German apple). 

 Northern Sp}^ and 

 All Russet apples. 



REMEDIES FOR UXFRUITFULXESS. 



Trees, like animil^, are sone:im3s subject to barrenness. 

 There is no subject within the wide realm of horticulture more 

 difficult to understand or explain satisfactorily than the true 

 cause of vigorous trees failing to bear fruit, especially when 

 they have been well tilled, manured, and pruned The cause 

 generally assigned is an over-vigorous constitution, causing 

 over-luxuriant growth of shoots and leaves, and excessive 

 wood growth. Other causes have been assigned; as the influ- 

 ence of certain soils — the lack of certain constituent elements 

 in the soil, which are necessary to fruitfulness; such as potash^ 

 soda, Sec, in limestone soils, and the want of lime, iron, clay 

 or muck composts in free stone, sandy, or slaty soils. Over- 

 luxuriance of growth, however, is considered by the best au- 

 thorities as the most usual cause of unfruitfulness in fruit 

 trees. Fortunately for the orchardist, such condition of his 

 trees very seldom occur, and the remedies in such cases, as 

 generally prescribed, are as follows : 



" To induce fruitfulness, when a vounjT tree is too luxuriant, 

 employing all its energies in making vigorous shoots, but 

 forming few or no blossoms and producing no fruit, we have 

 it in our power, by different modes of pruning, to lessen this 

 over-luxuriance, and force it to expend its energies in fruit 

 bearing. The most direct and successful mode of doing this 

 is h J pruning tJte roots, a proceeding brought into practice by 

 English gardeners." 



Root Pruning is effected by cutting off a portion of the 

 nourishment supplied by the roots of a tree. The leaves, 

 losing part of their usual nourishment, have not the ability to 

 continue their rapid growth, or maintain the excessive vigor 

 of the balance of the tree, causing the branches to assume 

 slow growth and the organizable matter accumulates, causing 

 fruit buds to be formed. The inclination to luxuriant wood 

 and leaf growth being cut off, the remaining sap and food are 



