PRUNING. 115 



" Whether the pruning should be heavy or light is a very 

 important question, and I feel here that I am treading on 

 delicate ground. It is certainly necessary that the pruning 

 should be adjusted according to the power of the tree to make 

 root, for it is to this power of the tree to make root below 

 ground that it will owe its ability to form wood above, and 

 in these days of leaf disease and wet seasons the root 

 development is only too much checked already. The amount 

 of leaf on the tree mainly determines the development of root, 

 for the evaporation or transpiration from the leaves is the 

 cause of the suction exercised by the roots on the soil. If 

 therefore you unduly reduce your foliage you reduce the power 

 of the tree to nourish itself from the fertilizing matters of the 

 soil. In a strong soil this is not so much the case and may 

 be an advantage, as the upward flow is not immediately 

 checked by the reduction of the foliage, and consequently 

 there may be a concentration of food material in the roots 

 which, when fresh foliage has formed itself, will afford extra 

 nourishment to the tree if carefully regulated by the subse- 

 quent handling. Prune therefore according to the strength of 

 your soil as evidenced by the vigour of the tree, and pay the 

 utmost attention to the after handling. 



" Handling I look upon as the most important work upon 

 the estate as being the real regulator of the crop. Too often 

 I notice the inferior labour of the estate turned on to do this 

 work. By the handling you direct the strength of the tree 

 into right wood. The handling after the pruning is the time 

 when you select the wood which is to bear the following crop, 

 and no more wood should be left on the tree than it has the 

 power to bring the crop of to maturity. At this time, therefore, 

 you cannot give too much attention to the work, and all your 

 subsequent handlings should be directed towards the same 

 object viz., turning the strength of the tree into the wood you 

 have reserved for crop. In conclusion, what we require is 

 the training of our faculties of observation: a few simple 

 observations such as marking the branches at the time of 

 blossoming, or the watching of the wood from the time of its 

 formation to the time when it has borne its crop, and the 



