1913] on Investigations at the Woburn Fruit Farm 651 



pruning except in private gardens, and we should hardly ever hear 

 anything of it there, if a more rational system of branch-pruning 

 were adopted. When the branches are cut away to an excessive ex- 

 tent, the balance between branch and root can only be restored by 

 cutting the roots away too. But to injure the tree in one way, and 

 to attempt to correct matters by injuring it in another way, is not a 

 very intelligent procedure. Nor does it pay ; for though a tree may 

 often bear heavily after root-pruning (generally in the second year 

 after) it was found, even in the case of the trees root-pruned only 

 every fourth year, that the total crops were much smaller than those 

 from the trees which had not been root-pruned, for the trees them- 

 selves were smaller, and could not carry so much fruit. 



Of course, in cases where we are dealing with wall-fruit, and 

 where there must be excessive pruning to keep the tree confined 

 to the wall, root-pruning may be necessary ; but that is a special case. 

 I will now pass on to the problems connected with the trans- 

 planting of a tree from the nursery to the fruit ground. I have 

 already shown you a diagram of the root-tip, and explained that 

 most of these root-tips are destroyed when a tree is transplanted ; 

 and, as these tips are necessary for the growth of the tree, its con- 

 tinued existence depends on the formation of new root-tips from 

 other cells specially adapted for the purpose. Many of the old root- 

 tips are torn off in Hfting the tree, but others are killed by becoming 

 dried up on exposure to the air. Some exposure is always inevitable, 

 and in most cases several days elapse between the lifting and the 

 planting of a tree. It is of great importance, however, that this ex- 

 posure should be reduced to the narrowest limits. A number of trees 

 were lifted at Woburn, and some of them were replanted at once, 

 whilst others were left in a shed for four days before doing so, and it 

 was found that the latter made only four-fifths as much growth as 

 the former during the following season. [Slide shown.] It is on 

 this account that planting trees in the spring should be discoun- 

 tenanced, as drying winds are then more prevalent ; but if this 

 drying effect is avoided, it is immaterial when the planting is carried 

 out— similar trees planted at different times between November 28 and 

 March B were found to do equally well. 



Much stress is always laid by horticulturists on the importance of 

 selecting trees with a good supply of fibrous roots, and of taking the 

 utmost care of these roots, spreading them out, and shaking the 

 earth lightly between them. But such precepts are based on 

 ignorance as to the principles of root-growth. Nine-tenths of these 

 roots have lost their tips, they are useless, and as good as dead, 

 for they certainly will die in a very short time. Anyone can 

 satisfy himself on this point : it is only necessary to mark a few of 

 these roots by tying strands of silk round them, and on lifting the 

 tree again at the end of the season it will be found that these rootlets 



