THE PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE OF THE ORCHARD1ST. 39 



age, they would in many cases get a very much better return. The distance apart which drains 

 should be constructed depends a good deal upon the nature of the soil. In soils that have a stiff clay 

 subsoil, a drain should be laid between every row of trees twenty feet apart ; while in soils that are 

 fairly open, a distance of forty feet might be sufficient. In many cases it may be advisable to put 

 the drains at forty feet, and if this does not effectively drain the soil, another drain might be put in 

 between, making them twenty feet apart. Drains should be at least two and a half feet deep, and main 

 drains three feet deep. Draining tiles form the most satisfactory drains, as they are not so liable 

 to get choked as those made of stone. Tiles two and a half to three inches in diameter are mostly 

 used ; while our-inch tiles for main drains would be required. 



PRUNING. 



Pruning is resorted to in order to increase the vigour of the tree, as, by cutting back and reducing 

 the branches, the whole supply of the sap goes to the remaining portion, causing a great luxuriance 

 of growth. In pruning apple trees the pruner must have a knowledge of the habit of the particular 

 variety he is operating on, as some of our apples bear chiefly on the lateral branches, such as Jonathan 

 and Rome Beauty ; while other varieties, such as Reinette de Canada and Ribston Pippin, form 

 short fruit-spurs along the main branches. More mistakes have been made in pruning Jonathan 

 than any other variety. This tree throws out a great number of lateral branches, and it has been 

 the practice of many orchardists in the past to shorten back these lateral branches, and in many cases 

 to cut them out altogether, with the idea that fruit-spurs shall, later on, be produced. But instead 

 of doing so the trees throw out a large number of weaker lateral shoots. These are again cut off, 

 with the result that no proper fruit-buds are formed, and as the' main branches that continue to grow 

 on the body of the tree, instead of being furnished with a good supply of fruit-bearing wood, become 

 quite bare, it is then a very difficult matter to get a good supply of fruit-spurs. In pruning a Jonathan 

 tree the first year, three or four branches should be left well spaced from the stem, so that they will 

 form a well-balanced head, shortening these shoots back by cutting away about two-thirds, leaving 

 about one-third on the young tree. The following year the trees will have made a fairly good growth, 

 the mam branches having thrown out a good supply of lateral shoots. It is these lateral branches 

 which will go towards the forming of the future fruit-bearing wood. If these laterals are too numerous, 

 a few of them may be cut out ; the others should be left to their full length. On no account should 

 the ends be cut off, as in that case they would grow only further without producing fruit-buds. The 

 main branches should be cut back as in the previous year. The next year the lateral branches that 

 were left to their full length will have developed a succession of fruit-buds. These laterals may now 

 be slightly shortened back, cutting to a fruit and not to a wood bud. The main branches will have 

 made further growth in regard to lateral branches, and these should be dealt with as in the previous 

 year. The lateral branches that are left, as they form fruit-buds, will require to be shortened back 

 a little every year, so that in a few years proper fruit-spurs will have been formed. A tree that has 

 been pruned in this manner will in a few years be well furnished with fruit-spurs from the fork of the 

 tree, along the main branches, and also along the laterals. Rome Beauty and other kinds of the 

 same growth may be pruned in a similar manner to the Jonathan. The other varieties that naturally 

 form short fruit-spurs on the branches may be improved by having a few of the smaller lateral branches 

 left for a year or two, and when fruit-buds are formed they may be cut back for half their length. 

 (In the matter of pruning there is room for difference of opinion, and the retention of the laterals has 

 been found to reduce Bitter Pit. In Report III., p. 22, the position is thus stated : "The lateral 

 system of pruning must be adopted in place of the spur development of the leaders if Bitter Pit is to 

 be kept in check. When the laterals do not overcrowd the tree, they should be retained and left 

 untouched ; when they are too numerous towards the centre, they can be thinned out ; and when 

 they require strengthening for the load of fruit they have to bear, they can be shortened back.") 



