IRI8H GARDENING 



annual winter pruning of the side branehes, all 

 the lateral growths must be cut back to three or 

 four buds, the leading shoot at the end of branch 

 must be cut according to its strength, at from 

 one-third to half its length, and trained horizon- 

 tally, and so on until the branches have iilled 

 their allotted space : subsequently fruiting S])urK 

 will be formed the whole length of branches ; 

 these, when grown too long, or overcrowded, 

 may be tliinned more or less in alternate years, 

 or annually, leaving two or three inches of base 

 to produce shoots, which will by annual i)runing 

 again form fruiting spurs : weakly spurs may be 

 cut away comi^letely. 



Fan-trained trees may be primed in the same 

 manner, the desired branches in thiss form bcitig 

 trained from the upper side of ]ireceding branches. 

 Well trained and fruited pyramid trees are, no 

 doubt, liighly ornamental, but, being com- 

 paratively unproductive and requiring a con- 

 siderable* amount of tying or training, this form 

 of tree is seldom met with : when desired, pyra- 

 midal trees may be formed by tying the centre 

 stem to a bam- 

 boo cane or other 

 durable stake 

 for training u])- 

 right ; train the 

 side branches 

 laterally and 

 evenly all round 

 from centre, until 

 desired size of 

 tree is obtained, 

 the branches to be 

 s p u r red a n d 

 pruned as in bush 

 trees, but cut the 

 leading shoots 

 somewhat shor- 

 ter ; always cut 

 leading shoots to 

 a bud pointing 

 outwards. 



Cordon trees 

 may be grown as 

 upright. Cordons 

 on single stems 

 and on double 

 stems, trained more or less obliquely against walls 

 or wire fences ; they are also trained hori- 

 zontally by the side of walks : in whatever way 

 these may be trained, the pruning is in all cases 

 similar, and consists in cutting the side shoots 

 to three or four buds to form fruiting spvu's, the 

 leading shoots to be shortened to about half 

 their length at the winter pruning. With all 

 these formally trained trees, summer ])r\uiing 

 should be carried out, the side shoots to be luuned 

 back to three or four buds not earlier than the 

 end of .July and in August, the leading shoots 

 being allowed to grow their full length and 

 shortened at the winter pruning. 



Earlier pruning of side shoots causes secondary 

 growths most prejudicial to the trees, and these 

 secondary growths should be i)ulled out after 

 making two or three leaves. This manner of 

 pruning applies equally to a])ples, pears, dessert 

 cherries and plums, though ]ilums should not be 

 so closely spurred as the other fi-uits. Moi'ello 

 cherries aic produced on the current year's 

 growths, and a suitable number of these should 

 be tied in to bear the croii in following 



A Collection of 12 Varieties of Apples, 



Grown by Mr. A. Barker, which received First Prize and 



Gold Medal at the last Dublin Fruit Show. 



summer; siu'plus j^hoots should be cut clean 

 out. 



Lifting or I'oot ])ruiuiig must l)e resorted to 

 in all cases where trees are making an undue 

 amount of gross growths and j)roving unfruitful. 

 It frequently ha])|j(»ns that fruit trees a few 

 years i)lanted, from vanous causes, break away 

 into excessive wood growth, and ])roduce little 

 or no fi'uit; in such cases the trees should be 

 lifted, more or less root pruned, and re[)lanted 

 in the same position again ; shorten all thick 

 libreless roots to witliin twelve or fourteen 

 inches of main stem tree, trim all jagged 

 ends off other roots, spreading them out 

 carefully in the course of replanting, taking care 

 that the roots are arranged horizontally and 

 having no downward tendency. This operation 

 will effectually check excessive growth land cause 

 the trees to at once become fruitful. Trees may 

 be quite safely lifted up to ten or twelve years 

 of age. Older and larger trees must be root 

 ])runed, operating on one side of the tree in 

 autumn as the leaves change colour, and taking 



the other side of 

 the tree the fol- 

 lowing season : 

 in this operation 

 cut away all thick 

 fibreless roots 

 found in the 

 trench, others 



may be slightly 

 shortened and 

 preserved, to be 

 laid in the trench 

 when refilling ; 

 take tills oppor- 

 tuning to add 

 some well rotted 

 manure or new 

 compost as the 

 1 rench is refilled, 

 making the ground 

 very firm by 

 trampling as the 

 refilling of trench 

 proceeds. 



Standard trees 

 should not be 

 lifted or even severely root ) runed at any time, as 

 this Avould render them liable to be blown over by 

 gales. Eoot pruning is a very important matter in 

 the successful cultivation of the larger fruits, among 

 young orchard ti'ees, and frequently large old trees 

 inay be induced to bear satisfactory crops of 

 fruit where previously only carrying crops of 

 small scabby fruit. I have also seen many cases 

 where root pruning alone has i^roduced a very 

 marked diminution of scabby api^les and pears, 

 as well as considerable improvement in size 

 of fruit, on trees which many growers might be 

 inclined to destroy. No doubt many trees 

 owing to neglect of, or improi)er ])runing. great 

 age, &c., attain to such a condition that ])runing 

 of any descri]jtion will not restore them suffi- 

 ciently to ])roduce croi)s of serviceable fruit, but 

 it seems synonymous with "losing a sheep for a 

 haporth of tar " to cut down trees large enough 

 to produce ten or twelve bushels of apples, to be 

 replaced by young trees that in many cases might 

 not pi'oduce a bushel of apples in half a dozen years, 

 while the large trees could by a course of branch 

 and root pruning be given a new lease of fertility. 



