46 THE BOOK OF THE APPLE 



fruit regularly, and also of keeping others in such a 

 condition as will enable them to continue to produce 

 satisfactory crops. The method of root pruning to be 

 adopted will depend upon the size and age of the tree, 

 for the more advanced it is in years and vigour, the 

 more care will be required. A young tree is less 

 affected by the shortening of some of its long, fibreless 

 roots than is an older tree. 



The first thing to do is to dig a trench at a certain 

 distance from the stem of the tree, and the size of the 

 latter will regulate the distance at which the trench is 

 to be made. For instance a young tree, having been 

 planted say two years, and in need of root pruning, 

 would not be harmed if a trench were opened all 

 around it, and only four feet from the stem. In 

 the case of a tree that had been in its place for say 

 ten years, such a proceeding would be positively 

 harmful. It is the practice of many cultivators to adopt 

 the plan of making the trench just outside the ground 

 covered by the branches of the apple tree, that is to say, 

 the position of the trench is regulated by the spread of 

 the branches. This may be taken, generally speaking, 

 as a reliable guide. Having opened a trench about 

 fifteen inches wide, the inside of the trench being just 

 outside where the branches cover the ground, take a 

 fork and with this proceed to remove some of the soil 

 from underneath and towards the centre of the mass of 

 roots, thus leaving the upper portion of the soil and roots 

 intact. To disturb this latter portion is in the first place 

 useless, because there are no offending roots there, and 

 it is also harmful, because it contains most of the fibrous, 

 and, therefore, the most valuable roots, and these would 

 consequently be disturbed and damaged. As the worker 

 removes the soil from underneath, all around, he will be 

 certain to meet with some of the roots that need prun- 

 ing. They may be recognised by their long, strong and 



