46 BITTER PIT INVESTIGATION. 



"SPORT" FROM WILLIAMS PEAR. 



In the same orchard a very interesting "sport" has been produced on the main stem of a Williams 

 Pear tree. The branch is shown in Fig. 46, bearing six pears. These pears are of a golden-brown 

 colour, with a flesh quite similar in texture to Gansel's Bergamot, much similar in taste, but of more 

 excellent flavour and keeping quality. The brancli is now five years old, and has fruited for three 

 vears. It maintains its type in all the fruits produced, and is thus seen to be a true sport. I am 

 indebted to Orchard Supervisor Cock for these two instructive photographs. 



EFFECT OF PRUNING AT DIFFERENT SEASONS. 



The effect of pruning the tree when dormant and when in full flower was tested on two apple 

 trees of the Bismarck variety, growing alongside each other and of the same age, in the Burnley 

 Horticultural Gardens. They were pruned lightly, the one on 18th July, and the other on 7th 

 October, 1913, when in full flower. The result was that only a very few apples of relatively large 

 size were produced on the winter-pruned tree, while the spring-pruned tree yielded a very light crop 

 of small apples. The growth, however, was much better than that of the other, and the foliage 

 was dense and dark green . 



Next season the winter pruning was done on 23rd July, and the spring pruning on 19th October, 

 1914, when the tree was in full bloom. The fruit was picked on 4th February, 1915, and while the 

 winter-pruned tree bore 02 apples, with 35 per cent, of Pit, the spring-pruned tree bore only one apple, 

 which was clean. The two trees were again pruned lightly on 28th July and October, 1915, respec- 

 tively. Unfortunately the winter-pruned tree died in November, so that only one tree remains, and 

 no comparison can be made between the winter and spring pruned trees. 



The results, however, may be given : 



Clean. Pitted. 



Total Yield. ()n Trees - . Windfalls. On Treos. Windfalls. Ru , mlt pitted 

 No. No. No. No. No. 



881 556 136 107 82 21 



A similar experiment was carried out at Mr. Hatfield's orchard, Box Hill, with two Cleopatra 

 apple trees of the same age and general vigour. The one was pruned towards the end of August, 

 and the other late in October. Both trees bore a fair crop of fruit, and the apples on the spring- 

 pruned tree were rather larger than on the other. In both cases there was a very large proportion 

 of badly pitted apples, and there seemed to be no advantage gained by late pruning. 



ROOT PRUNING. 



No systematic experiments with root pruning have been carried out, since in our variable climate 

 and in cases where the orchard is dependent on the natural rainfall, there is a danger of root-pruned 

 trees suffering at a critical period of their growth from want of water. There is a risk, therefore, of 

 losing the tree, or at least of a set-back hi its growth. 



However, an apple tree of the Bismarck variety was used for the purpose at Burnley Horticultural 

 Gardens. It is now about fifteen years old, and was rooted out in June, 1912, in order to show the 

 nature and spread of the root system as compared with the shoot system (Report I., Fig. 133). Then 

 after cutting back the roots to within three feet of the trunk, the tree was re -planted. 



In June, 1913, it flowered abundantly, but, as might have been anticipated from the unusual 

 time of flowering, no fruit was produced. It was then pruned lightly in July, 1914, and flowered 

 from the 5th to 19th October, but owing to the exceptional drought no fruit set. The tree produced 



