5a ORCHARD FRUIT TREE CULTURE 



you where and when this should be done. It is not one of those 

 operations to be performed whether it is necessary or not. When 

 a cordon is showing itself vigorous by throwing out too much free 

 growth then root-pruning is necessary as a corrective ; but if it 

 shows itself to be only healthy and able to preserve the balance 

 between fruiting and non-fruiting wood, with just a balance in 

 favour of the latter to demonstrate its capabilities, then do not 

 interfere with the roots, but trust to the crop to keep down redun- 

 dancy. 



We remarked above that there was room for more growers of 

 high-grade fruit, which is but another interpretation of the old 

 axiom " there is always room on top." When we have passed 

 through large private gardens and have seen to what perfection 

 the skilled gardener has brought his cordons and the wonderful 

 results he obtains, we have turned to our market-growing friends 

 and said, " Go, and do likewise," And why should they not ? 

 It may be objected that they have to grow on a commercial basis, 

 and that the private gardener has not ; but be that as it may, the 

 latter produce demonstrably profitable crops, and in quantity and 

 quality leads the way. And why ? We have yet to learn that the 

 skill of the private gardener, taken as a class, is in any way superior 

 to that of the commercial grower ; in fact, we do not think that 

 " we imagine a vain thing " when we suggest that the boot is on the 

 other foot, and if that indeed be so, it becomes simply a matter of 

 ways and means of application. 



