IRISH GARDENING 



159 



be a circulation of botli light and air througli 

 any room or building wliere fruit is stored in 

 quantity for a week or ten days ; both should 

 afterwards be excluded. Fruit that is to be 

 kept for any length of time should not be stored 

 on hay or straw, as this frequently creates 

 mould amongst the fruit, and imparts a dis- 

 agreeable taste. Shelves of smooth-planed 

 boards or laths form the best storage medium. 

 Either laths or boards should not be closely- 

 jointed ; a s]iace of from | to J inch between 

 allows of a desirable circulation of air through 

 fruit that may be stored two or tliree (or more) 

 layers deep. Soft a])ples and choice dessert 

 should not be naore than two or three layer's 

 dee]) ; small apples ana such as thick-skinned 

 hard late-keepers may be safely stored several 

 layers deep. Care must be taken in all cases 

 not t ) bruise the fruit, and all must be quite 

 dry when permanently stored. Large choice 

 pears sliou'd be stored at most one or two layers 

 deep, small varieties and late-keepers may be 

 jilaced two or three layers deep. 



It frequently ha])pens that young, robust 

 trees grow away freely, prodticing a great quan- 

 tity of gross shoots with large soft foliage, and 

 to all appearance are very healthy, but they 

 bear fruit very scantily or not at all. This un- 

 desirable condition may be caused by the trees 

 having been planted in loose, too rich soil, 

 throvigh too severe priming, or the roots may 

 have penetrated to an vmsuitable sub-soil, clayey 

 or cold and badly drained. New or a few years' 

 ]>lanted young trees may also attain a similai'ly 

 undesiraljle condition. This excessive growth 

 and unfruitfulness shovild be correctea by either 

 root ijruning or by lifting the trees and replanting 

 them under suitable conditions. Trees up to a 

 dozen or more years' old should be lifted and re- 

 planted from the end of this UKjnth and onwards, 

 as soon after the foliage has nearly or qviite 

 fallen from the trees. Where the trees are be- 

 yond this age it is advisable to resort to root 

 pruning, which may be commenced towards the 

 end of the month, or as soon as the foliage 

 assumes the appearance of completed growth 

 and changing colour. So that the trees may 

 not I'eceive too severe a check, it is advisable 

 that one half round the tree shovild be dealt 

 with this season, and the other half next season. 

 Commence by opening a trench 18 inches to 

 2 feet wide and 2 feet or more from the stem of 

 the tree, and in the course of digging trench cut 

 away at both sides of trench any thick fibreless 

 roots that may be met with. Smaller and fibry 

 roots must be cut at the outer side of the trench 

 and turned over towards the tree, ])reserving 

 them from any damage. As the digging pro- 

 ceeds, gradually undermine the tree, so that in 

 case of there being a taproot, or any gross roots 

 growing straight down, they may be cut away. 

 \Vhen the roots are quite undermined, the 

 trench must be tilled in. If the earth thrown 

 out is in satisfactory condition- — i.e., fairly rich 



and friahh it may be tilled in without any 



further adilition. As tilling iiroceeds, lay in the 

 roots that have been ])reserved, sjjreading them 

 out evenly, and give them an upward tendency, 

 so that when trod([cn down thev inav lav hori- 

 ■/unlally in tiir uroiind. raliici' I'lian he w'oi'kinu- 



ilnunuaids. It llic raith is I rand (•\liaus1((l. 



a<l,| sun,,. \\,.||-.l,Mav. .1 tannvaid inaninv. ,.l- a 

 ruinpost n\- new loam. Ira f-iiiniil,| . ;i,„l n sprink- 



ling of bone meal, or good horticultural manure. 

 In heavy, retentive soils the addition of mortar 

 rubble or the ashes of fire heaps is very bene- 

 ficial. As the roots are laid in the trench thev 

 should be shortened a few inches, all being cut 

 clean with a sharjj knife or pruning scissors ; 

 broken roots must be cut away where broken. 

 As far as possible root pruning should only be 

 carried out when the soil is in dry, or fairlv dry 

 condition. I may also add that if the sub-soil 

 in the bottom of trench is very hard and poor, 

 it should be forked over and a little manure dug 

 in, or if wet and badly drained, dig in some 

 broken bricks or stones to lighten and afford 

 drainage for the soil. 



This method of root pruning applies equally 

 to all the larger fruits, including peaches (anil 

 may also apply to peaches growing under glass). 

 With trained trees growing against walls, in 

 whatever form of training they may be grown, 

 a half circle should be marked out by measuring 

 3 feet or so to right and left from stem of tree 

 and the same distance vertically out from stem 

 of tree (or from stem of tree out from wall), and 

 it is generally most advisable to root iirune along 

 the half of half circle this season and remainder 

 next season. 



If wall trees are lifted and reidanted, the trees 

 should be set aside while a hole amply large 

 enough for replanting is cleared out ; also dig to 

 a sufBcient depth, say 2i feet deep. Before re- 

 planting shorten any gross fibreless roots and 

 taproots, and cut clean all damaged ends of 

 roots. Due regard must be paid to condition 

 of soil as replanting goes on (similar to pre- 

 viously advised). Tramj^le the earth very 

 firmly as planting ])roceeds. As the replanting 

 is completed the trees should only be tem- 

 porarily fastened to the wall, the branches may- 

 be looped two or three together and loosely tied 

 to wall, a loose tie or two also afforded to' stem 

 of tree. Left thus for two or three weeks the 

 tree can drop with the body of earth which will 

 sink more or less in the course of that time. 

 When replanting or root pruning stone fruits, 

 be more sparing with farmyard manure and 

 more liberal with lin^e rubble, as stone fruits 

 need more lime than apples and ])ears. If 

 mortar rubble is not available add a little air- 

 slaked lime. 



It is no unusual thing to see or hear of large 

 old fruit trees, specially ap])les and i)ears, grow- 

 ing a great quantity of gross soft shoots, with a 

 crop of small badly coloured fruits, ami fre- 

 quently very scabby also. This condition 

 generally arises through the roots having ])ene- 

 trated deep down into soil quite initit to in-oduce 

 respectable fruit. I strongly advise root ])runing 

 as a means for regenerating such trees, imless 

 they are old, com])aratively Avorthless varieties 

 such should be grubbed up and replaced with 

 new trees of profitable varieties. I have on dilTcrcnt 

 occasions seen such large old trees completely 

 transformed by root pruning and subsequent 

 liberal treatment at the roots, and bearing 

 heavy crojis of fine well -coloured fruit. It is 

 very advisable to get root i»riining finished early 

 in the season as possible, as the trees recover 

 much more readily early in the season, and 

 ( nnimence making new roots before winter s ets in. 



Wherever " Winter Moths " have attacked 

 apples this season, grease banding to cai)ture 

 the moths should be r.-sortcd to. These pests 



