with a Treatise on the subject. 215 



chards, are half standards with round well-formed heads, the 

 same trained en quenouille^ and dwarfs in the usual bush fash- 

 ion. For immediate effect, these should be prepared by an- 

 nual root-pruning, for one, two, or three years, in the nur- 

 sery; but if not so prepared, trees of the usual size and 

 quality may be planted, and suffered to remain two years un- 

 disturbed, unless the soil is rich and they make vigorous 

 shoots the first season after planting; operations may then 

 commence the first season: thus, supj)osing a tree to be plant- 

 ed in November or December, it may remain untouched two 

 years from that period, and then, early in November, if pos- 

 sible, a circumferential trench, ten inches from the stem of the 

 tree, and eighteen inches deep, should be dug, and every root 

 cut with a sharp spade, which should be introduced quite un- 

 der the stem, at about fifteen inches in depth, so as com- 

 pletely to intercept every perpendicular root. The treddle 

 spade used in this part of Hertfordshire is a very eligible im- 

 plement for this purpose, as the edge is steeled and very 

 sharp. The following year, the third from planting, a trench 

 may again be opened at fourteen inches from the stem, so as 

 not to injure the fibrous roots of the preceding summer's 

 growth, and the spade again used to cut all the circumferential 

 and perpendicular roots that are getting out of bounds: the 

 fourth year, the same operation may be repeated at eighteen 

 inches from the stem, and in all subsequent root-pruning, this 

 distance from the stem must be kept; this will leave enough 

 undisturbed earth round each tree to sustain as much fruit as 

 ought to grow, for the object is to obtain a small prolific tree. 

 I assume, that in the course of years a perfect ball of fibrous 

 roots will be formed, which will only require the occasional 

 operation of a trench being dug, and this ball of earth heaved 

 down to ascertain whether any large feeders are making their 

 escape from it. But it must be borne in mind, that this cir- 

 cular mass of soil will, in a few years, be exhausted; to rem- 

 edy which, I have had left round each tree, a slight depression 

 in the soil, or, in other words, the trench has not been quite 

 filled in: this circular furrow I have filled with fresh night-soil, 

 which has had a most excellent effect; any other liquid ma- 

 nure would undoubtedly be equally efficacious, but my soil was 

 poor, and I thought it required strong manure; as it did not 

 come in contact with the roots, no injury resulted from using 

 such a powerful raw manure. There is perhaps no absolute 



