]0 Jt-ly, 1016.] Orchaid and Garden Xotcs. 445 



Burnley Report. 



A week of heavy frosts was a feature of the weather this mouth. 

 Temperature as low as 23 F. was registered 2 feet above ground, and 

 28 F. iu houses. 



Frozen water pipes were the chief trouble experienced. Notwith- 

 standing adverse conditions the birds have done really well, the dry 

 mash light breeds and heavy breeds wet section especially so. The num- 

 ber of partial moulters is not so large as last year, and broodies are also 

 less. Temperature — lowest, 28 F. ; highest, 66 F. Rainfall, 208 points. 



A. HART, 



Chief Poultry Expert. 



ORCHARD AND GARDEN NOTES. 



h' . E. I'escoff, F.L.S., Frincipal Scliool of Horticulture, Burnley. 



The Orchard. 



Pruning. 



Pruning operations will now be in full swing. In pruning the young 

 trees, heavy pruning will be required in order to produce strong growths 

 and a good frame, but as the tree advances in age the pruning will be 

 reduced considerably. It should be remembered that strong, heavy 

 pruning results in wood growth, and that weak pruning steadies the tree, 

 and promotes an even growth. When framing and building a tree, the 

 former consideration is observed, and when the tree is coming into fruit 

 bearing or is mature, it will be pruned according to the latter. Any 

 operation that will cause the tree to produce less wood growth will induce 

 the tree to become more fruitful, provided the tree be in a healthy condi- 

 tion ; so that when trees are mature, pruning operations, as a rule, should 

 not be severe, but rather the reverse. 



Old fruiting wood, and dead and dying wood should always be re- 

 moved, and aged spurs should be considerably reduced, in order to make 

 them produce new growths. Crowded and overlapping laterals should be 

 shortened back ; fruit-bearing in the higher portions of the tree should 

 not be encouraged : and due consideration should be given to the admis- 

 sion of light and air to all parts of the tree. 



Where varieties of fruit trees are prone to bearing crops evei-y second 

 year, their lateral system should be pi'uned so that they will not produce 

 too heavy a crop in tlie fruiting year; and at the same time they will 

 produce wood in their fruiting year to give a crop in the subsequent 

 season. 



A model troo will always be light on its topmost leaders, bearing the 

 major portions of the crop in the lower regions of the tree. The main 

 point to be noted is that a heavv wood growth in the upper portion of 

 the tree tends to reduce the l)earin2: capabilities of the tree in its most 

 useful parts. 



