322 FRUIT AND ITS CULTIVATION, 



as far as cropping is concerned, will be found anything 

 but satisfactory; and an annual severe pruning, all the 

 young growths being severely topped, means a plentiful 

 supply of sticks every season, and not much fruit. The 

 only way out of difficulties of this kind is either to resort 

 to root-pruning occasionally, thereby checking top growth 

 and converting what would otherwise have been wood 

 buds into fruit buds, or else one-half of the trees should 

 be either transplanted elsewhere or destroyed, those left 

 standing being allowed to grow much more naturally in 

 the future. Both remedies are of the order expensive." 



Subsequent Culture. For the first six years, at least, 

 the circular space of gft. in the case of standards and 6ft. 

 in that of bushes must be kept free from grass or weeds, 

 and these spaces should be given a fresh mulch of manure 

 every winter. This precaution is necessary to ensure 

 healthy root action. If the first spring and summer should 

 be very dry, copious waterings may be necessary. Other 

 routine work consists of spraying the trees to keep them 

 healthy, and in feeding the roots as advised in the chapter 

 on " Spraying " and in the table of Manures. 



