Root-Pruning and CanJcer in Fruit Trees. 3 ] 3 



healthy. The effects of such removals or root operations, if 

 properly performed, may generally be narrated thus : — After the 

 •removal, all or greater part of the disease disappears ; the tree for 

 a year or two progresses in health and luxuriance, and it is only 

 after all gets established, and a prospect of golden harvests at 

 hand, that disease again exhibits itself, to dispel our dreams 

 and canker all. Now, the mere lifting and again planting a tree 

 in the same materials and position cannot possibly benefit but 

 by the reduction that necessarily takes place in the roots ; a sup- 

 position confirmed by the certain reappearance of the evil as 

 soon as those roots are replaced and gain an ascendant, by which 

 the requisite equilibrium is destroyed. 



Removing, or subjecting a tree to any severe operation (un- 

 less the subject has been accustomed to such treatment), gene- 

 rally causes the loss of a season or two, while the good done by 

 such a sacrifice is of short duration ; therefore, such a mode of 

 restoring health is not to be thought of, as all the effects may be 

 obtained by annually shortening roots and branches as the case 

 may demand, by following a system that may induce permanent 

 fruitfulness, without so seriously dealing with the subject at one 

 time as to produce the loss of a crop, too meagre a habit, or the 

 endangering of its life. How so desirable an end is to be gained, 

 what is the best mode to pursue, how far we may and ought to 

 go, and when to perform most advantageously the operation, 

 can only be ascertained by-time and patient investigation. There 

 can be no doubt that many ways, and endless modifications of 

 shortening the supply of matter at the roots, either by devising 

 means to prevent their undue increase, or by removing any su- 

 perabundance, must lead to the same end. 



There being so much room for investigation, the investigator 

 so certain of being repaid for his trouble, with the certainty that 

 in many cases he cannot make bad worse, it cannot be doubted 

 that the thing will be set about in earnest, and the results com- 

 municated for the common benefit. To succeed, it only requires 

 that we bring to the work minds willing to be disabused, freed, if 

 possible, of all prepossessions and prejudices, most especially 

 that so prevalent of setting greater store upon the preservation 

 of roots than leaves. To be convinced of the absurdity of this 

 before starting, let all recollect the symptoms of improvement 

 manifested by trees recently removed, or with a scarcity of roots ; 

 and recollect also the practice of the Dutch (sufficient of itself to 

 carry conviction) : they take their trees full sized from the open 

 walls into their hothouses, force them instantly, and by foster- 

 ing and guarding the leaves they obtain abundant and excellent 

 crops ; and, this accomplished, the trees are again placed upon 

 the walls to stand until, in course of rotation, they are subjected 

 to the same treatment. With such a state of things, canker, even 



