29 



Rome Beauty. — This is a somewhat difficult apple to luring into bearing and 

 Iteep healthy and vigorous. In its young stages it is very vigorous and readily 

 takes woolly aphis badly, while as it reaches its seventh or eighth year it is likely 

 to stunt unless well fed and stimulated. Stable manm-e is the best fertiliser to 

 apply, and under proper treatment the Rome Beauty is as productive as the 

 Jonatliati. It is inclined to be upright and close. The young tree must not 

 be forked at its first pruning but at the second, cutting well above an outside 

 bud or, wherever possible, to an outside lateral ; this opens the tree out. , Care 

 is required in forming the tree and bringing it into bearing. The short laterals 

 should not be touched but the longer ones should be both winter and summer 



Fig. 17. 

 Portion of ayed .loiiathar. 



pruned. By judicious summer treatment of the laterals they are made to spur 

 readily. The summer spurring should be done about the end of February or be- 

 ginning of March. The Rome Beauty does not spur like the Jonathan when the 

 laterals are left unshortened, but only bear fruit as a rule on the extremities. 

 Figures 18 and 19 show a five-year old tree unprrmed and pruned. It will be seen 

 how the tree has been opened out by using the outside lateral growth for leaders. 

 Care must be taken never to allow the tree to become stunted or lose vigour from 

 any cause either of over-bearing or lack of nutriment or cultivation. Figure 

 20 shows a portion of an aged Rome Beauty in fruit. 



