174 THE FRUIT GROWER'S GUIDE. 



Root Pruning. Shortening the tap-root of a seedling tree at the first transplantation, 

 also its strong lateral roots, entirely changes its character. Naturally a tree's first efforts 

 are to strike root downwards, and if the soil be rich, porous, and deep, the roots are 

 strong, and the stem and branches robust. Boot- pruning, when the object is wood 

 or timber formation, not fruit production, is altogether a mistake. If, however, the 

 soil be firm and not rich, the roots, instead of being few and strong, become numerous 

 and smaller, the resisting medium causing the multiplication of fibres to search for 

 needful food. Thus naturally root-branching is effected, and the same object should be 

 sought for in cultivation, for on the number and character of fibrous roots in the upper 

 or surface layer of soil mainly depend the fruitfulness of trees. Boot-pruning has such 

 a powerful effect on trees that it may render branch -pruning practically needless. It 

 promotes fertility, and when trees bear heavy crops of fruit there is little excess of wood 

 to cut away. Thus fruitfulness is the most certain preventive of the exuberance which 

 is antagonistic to productiveness. 



The object of root -pruning, then, is to change the character, and, in some degree, 

 the position of the roots. It is not to reduce but to increase their number. Straight- 

 down roots if shortened push a far greater number of laterals nearer the surface, and long, 

 bare lateral roots similarly shortened are induced to form fibres, and these promote 

 fertility in fruit trees. Root-pruning, therefore, checks overgrowth, equalises the balance 

 of strength between roots and branches, and hastens and heightens the fruitfulness of 

 trees. 



Before commencing root-pruning it is necessary to discriminate between trees that 

 are naturally strong, long, and little branched at the roots, and those which are fibrous. 

 Seedling trees have more vigorous roots than those raised from cuttings or layers. 

 This has been alluded to under " Stocks," therefore it is only necessary to make 

 the distinction between the root-pruning of trees on free stocks as compared with 

 those on dwarfing stocks, for they are totally different. For instance, to describe a 

 circle around apple, cherry, or pear trees on wildling stocks, and cut off the whole of 

 the roots at the radius, would be removing the smallest and most vigorous, leaving 

 nothing but thick, bare roots behind ; but in the case of trees on the paradise, mahaleb, 

 or quince stocks, the practice of cutting off the roots at a given radius from the stem 

 removes all the long and bare roots and leaves the fibrous parts. There is the difference, 

 and the method of root-pruning must differ accordingly. 



Where a root is severed in a proper manner, cellular tissue, termed a callus, is formed 



