258 



THE FRUIT GARDEN 



Severe cutting and pruning only makes them grow the more wildly, and they 

 often become unfruitful. The time has then arrived to lift these gross 

 young trees, to cut ofF all the roots going straight down, and to shorten the 

 horizontal ones. If this is done at the end of October before the leaves fall, 

 the trees do not suffer in the following spring. Some are too large for 

 removal altogether, and the work must be done gradually. To lift a tree, 



first open a trench on one side 

 of it 4 feet from the stem, then 

 work underneath until the 

 tap-roots {i.e. the thick, gross 

 roots) are reached ; remove 

 these and shorten any other 

 gross roots that may be found. 

 Should there be a fair quantity 

 of fibrous roots, the other side 

 of the tree should next be 

 treated, but if few fibrous roots 

 are found it is best to leave the 

 completion of the work until 

 the following October. In 

 refilling the trench, the finer 

 soil must be placed about the 

 roots, and they should be 

 brought towards the surface as 

 much as possible. It is better 

 to fill up the trench with 

 some good loamy soil without 

 manure, making this firm. We 

 prefer to mulch the surface 

 (which is done to retain 

 moisture and to encourage new 

 roots) in March instead of 

 immediately after planting, for 

 the mulch prevents the sun 

 from warming the soil and 

 obstructs the rains. All fruit 

 trees must be firmly planted. 

 These remarks refer to espaliers, pyramid, and bush trees of apples and pears. 

 It is not advisable to root-prune standard trees, for they would on losing their 

 main roots be liable to be blown down ; if the heads of the trees are kept 

 moderately thin, fruit-spurs will soon form and bear naturally. Cordon trees 

 require frequent attention to root-pruning ; they are often highly manured, 

 and being also mulched when fruiting they are liable to grow too freely. 

 Cordon pears on the Quince and cordon apples on the Paradise stock are fibrous 

 rooted, and they do not suffer if root-pruning is performed at the end of 

 October or the beginning of November as soon as the fruit is gathered. 



Tree in Third Winter, Two Shoots having been 

 Allowed to Extend from the Upper Buds of 

 Each Branch, all Others except Spurs being 

 Pinched to Four Good Leaves. 



{g)[ Points of shortening the eight main branches to within 

 6 or 8 inches of base of summer growth ; all side shoots 

 are cut back to two buds. 



