Root-Priming the Pea?' and other Fruit Trees. 355 



few days, commencing by opening a trench round them 

 about two feet from the stem down to the hard platform 

 below, and all the roots that are inclined to be strong will 

 be cut back to within eighteen inches of the stem ; but 

 few, except the stronger leading roots, will have advanced 

 so far out at present, and by shortening these the vigor of 

 the trees will be arrested and some fruit buds will be formed 

 in the present autumn. Some pear trees grafted on pear 

 stocks, covering an arched trellis sixty yards long, six feet 

 wide, and nine feet high, were root-pruned, for the first 

 time, in July, 1848, when the trees, which had been planted 

 five years in strong rich soil, were exceedingly gross. The 

 result of this was, that, in 1849, we had a plentiful crop of 

 fruit on every tree, although previous to this scarcely a pear 

 was obtainable. Numerous other instances of success with 

 pears, apples, peaches, and apricots, could be mentioned, but 

 it is scarcely necessary. The only difficulty which amateurs 

 are likely to find, in applying this system of root-pruning, 

 will be in determining the distance from the stem at which 

 the trench should be made, and it is not easy to give precise 

 directions on this point. Trees that have only been planted 

 two, three, or four years, may, with safety, be cut to within 

 about two or three feet of the stem, proportioning the dis- 

 tance to the size which they may have attained. The roots 

 of trees may, by frequent pruning, be kept within a com- 

 paratively small space, by beginning with them the second 

 or third year after planting, and at every successive operation 

 going three or four inches further from the stem, and adding 

 some fresh loamy soil ; but trees that have been long estab- 

 lished, and have not been root-pruned, should not be cut too 

 close. Apricots and peaches may be kept in a fine bearing 

 state by root-pruning in the summer, when they have no 

 crop, and early in the autumn when they have a crop, but 

 are still too gross. We operate upon wall trees in this state 

 as soon as the fruit is gathered, and the wood ripens admi- 

 rably. 



It will be well to add, by way of conclusion, that after 

 pruning or shortening the strong roots, which are the cause 



