;504 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



Some Remarks on Pruning and 

 Training standard Apple 

 AND Pear Trees. 



By Mr. John Maker, F. H. S. 



We often see apple and pear 

 trees, both in gardens and orchprds, 

 not only crowded too closely toge- 

 ther, but so loaded with their own 

 branches, that very little fruit is 

 produced ; and that which is pro- 

 duced is rendered greatly inferior 

 in size and flavour to what it 

 would be under different manage- 

 ment. 



Directions for pruning these, as 

 well as all other fruit-trees, have 

 already been published by various 

 experienced gardeners, nor is it my 

 l)resent intention to offer any in- 

 structions on this head ; but neces- 

 sity, which has been so j ustly called 

 the mother of invention, having 

 impelled me to try a method that I 

 have not seen practised by any 

 other person, and which has prov- 

 ed uncommonly successful, a short 

 detail of it may perhaps be deemed 

 not unworthy the attention of tlie 

 Horticultural Society. 



When first I came to Millfield, 

 I found a number of apple and 

 pear trees, not only planted too 

 closely, but left entirely to their 

 natural manner of growing, and 

 exceedingly shaded by a row of 

 high trees in the hedge, which 

 separates them from the pleasure 

 ground. 



Other business to be done, of 

 more importance, prevented me 

 from pruning the whole immedi- 

 ately; but a number were selected 

 the first season, and many of their 

 largest branches taken entirely out 

 from the bottom, cutting the 

 wounds vtfry clean. The runain- 



ing branches were also propeily 

 thinned, so as to leave room for the 

 air and light to play upon the 

 smallest branches. 



The following summer, the 

 shoots pushed from those pruned 

 trees, as might have been expected, 

 were uncommonly vigorous, such 

 as the French call gourmands, often 

 from three to five feet long, or 

 more. About the end of June, or 

 a little sooner and later, according 

 to the growth of the branches, 1 

 applied oval balls of grafting clay 

 toward* their extremity, sufficient- 

 ly heavy to incline them down- 

 wards in a pendulous direction. 

 The sap being thus diverted from 

 its natural mode of ascending and 

 descending, every bud almost be- 

 came a blossom bud, and in seve- 

 ral trees this disposition to pro- 

 duce blos>om buds was carried 

 down to the very lowest spurs on 

 the stem and thicker branches. 



I need not aild, that this prac- 

 tice has since been closely followed 

 up; for many advantages, exclu- 

 sive of a more certain crop of fruit 

 attend it. 1st, Other small vege- 

 tables may be successfully cultiva- 

 ted under the light shade of trees 

 kept so open, an object of impor- 

 tance in the villages near London, 

 v/here ground is so difficult to be 

 got: 2dly, No expense of espalier, 

 or of stakes, or of training and 

 tying down the branches is in- 

 curred : 3dly, The crop of fruit is 

 not only improved in size and fla- 

 vour by having so much sun and 

 air, hut it is more easily gathered, 

 and suffers much less from the au- 

 tumnal winds ; for branches in this 

 direction are more pliable, and 

 bend more easily to the storm ; and 

 as a proof how much may be done 

 by art if necessary, the branches of 



a Lorn- 



