ROOT-PRUNING HOW DEMONSTRATED. 95 



about the same direction of growth in the soil as the old root 

 was placed when planted. If horizontal, the young roots 

 grew off horizontally ; if inclined downward at an angle, the 

 young roots assumed about the same angle. In the root- 

 pruned trees the young roots had very little to guide their 

 growth, leaving them to take such angles as are found in 

 seedling roots of the same variety. In other words, they 

 were put into such a condition by a removal of nearly all the 

 roots back to the collar, that they could take on a new root 

 system compatible with their nature, needs and seedling 

 habits of growth. By the old method, an unnatural system 

 of roots are forced upon a tree. This system of roots is usu- 

 ally irregular, one-sided and poorly directed in its growth. 

 Such trees are usually surface-rooted, having but few, if any, 

 deep, penetrating roots, with which to supply the tree with 

 an abundance of water. Drouth and deep freezing are agents 

 that act upon and shorten the lives of such trees. 



The newly formed roots on the root-pruned peach trees 

 were found to penetrate the soil at an average angle of about 

 forty degrees. Those on unpruned trees were horizontal and 

 surface-feeding. The pear was about the same as the peach, 

 with perhaps more that penetrated deeper from the root- 

 pruned trees. The Ben Davis apple followed its old record 

 of holding its roots rather close to the surface. 



The next season other kinds of trees, and more of peaches 

 and apples, were added to the experiment, to note the effects 

 of a different season and to give a wider range to the tests. 

 Wild Goose and Marianna plums on Marianna roots, Black 

 Tartarian cherry on Mazzard roots, Mahaleb cherry, Norway 

 spruce, hemlock, Lawson cypress, altheas, privet and red 

 cedar were added to the list. By June 23 the peach and 

 apple trees root-pruned the same as those of last season- 

 succeeded about the same as those planted last year. This 

 season had not been as wet as last, and we had just passed 

 through a fairly severe drouth. The root-pruned plums are 

 outgrowing the unpruned. The Black Tartarian cherry trees 

 are not doing as well. Two have died, and others are not 

 thriving. This may be due, however, to the wetness of the 



