66 SCIENCE AND FRUIT GROWING 



though the harder pruning in this case consisted (except during 

 the first season) of only moderate pruning, and the lighter pruning 

 of very slight branch treatment. 



The average results for the twelve years which have since 

 elapsed gave 



Relative Weights of Fruits 



Crab stock. Paradise stock. Both stocks. 



Moderate pruning . . . 100 100 100 



Light pruning . . .182 140 161 



showing, again, a large balance in favour of the lighter pruning, 

 though that balance, it may be remarked, appears to be some- 

 what on the decline, for, on taking the means for the last 

 six years only, the values are found to be 131, 114 and 123. 

 What was a matter of surprise, however, was that this 

 superiority in cropping was not secured at the cost of a 

 reduction in the average size of the fruits; indeed, the more 

 lightly pruned trees actually showed, during the twelve years, 

 a small balance in their favour in this respect, thus 



Relative Size of Fruits 



Crab stock. Paradise stock. Both stocks. 



Moderate pruning . . 100 100 100 



Light pruning . . . no 1 101 x 106 x 



This, of course, is only an average result, and different varieties 

 would naturally be expected to behave differently in this respect, 

 according to their manner of fruiting. On setting out the results 

 so as to show what percentage of the varieties bore the larger 

 fruits under the different methods of pruning, it was found that 



46 per cent, bore largest fruits under moderate pruning, 

 54 per cent, bore largest fruits under light pruning, 



the relative values on the two root-stocks being practically 

 identical. A similar examination of the size of the fruits borne 

 by Bramley, Cox and Potts in the experiments previously 

 described (p. 59) showed a small balance in the opposite 

 direction, namely 



Average size of fruits 

 during 10 years. 



No pruning .... 96 

 Moderate pruning . . . 100 

 Hard pruning . . . .118 



1 Omitting the results in 1907, which appeared exceptional, these values 

 become 101, 102 and 102. 



