PRUNING AND TRAINING. 



401 



to become greatly paralysed ; small leaves and 

 Bhort slender shoots will be produced the first 

 year afterwards, and that inveterate enemy the 

 red spider will grievously attack the foliage. 

 " We introduce this caution," says Mr Erring- 

 ton, " to show that some degree of moderation 

 becomes necessary, and that although root-prun- 

 ing is correct in principle, yet it may be preju- 

 dicial in rash hands." 



Root-pruning the plum. — The majority of plums 

 are little liable to assume those gross habits 

 which render other trees unproductive; still 

 cases frequently occur where an examination of 

 the roots, and a slight curtailment of some of 

 the stronger ones, may become necessary. In 

 youth, and in over-rich soil, the plum is apt to 

 make strong wood, and in such cases root-prun- 

 ing should be attended to ; but, like the peach 

 and nectarine, much may be done by topping 

 the strongest shoots early in their growth, which 

 will cause them to send out laterals of a more 

 useful size. Old plum-trees, when once in a 

 bearing state, seldom require such attention. 

 When, however, it is intended to grow the plum 

 in the pyramidal standard form, root-pruning 

 becomes an almost necessary condition, and 

 even performing the operation during summer 

 has been found to have its advantages. As the 

 pyramidal form is so well adapted to small gar- 

 dens, on account of the small space the trees 

 occupy, and the little shade they occasion, every 

 means should be employed to bring them into 

 the most perfect state possible. The French 

 have not in general succeeded in growing the 

 plum in this way, although in the case of most 

 other hardy fruits they have long excelled : in- 

 deed, it is to them we are Indebted for our first 

 knowledge of this mode of training. Of root- 

 pruning they know Httle — at least, if they do, 

 they seldom practise it ; and it is to this we 

 attribute their want of success in regard to the 

 plum, when trained even in their favourite 

 fashion. 



Root-pruning the peach and nectarine. — The 

 great object in root-pruning these is to keep the 

 roots near the surface to insure early growth, 

 moderately strong wood, and that thoroughly 

 ripened in autumn. If the roots are deep, vege- 

 tation is late in spring before it is brought into 

 action, crude and excessive juices are drawn 

 from the soil ; and although the wood grows 

 vigorously during summer, it is so watery and 

 gross, and continues growing so late, that our 

 ordinary seasons are not sufficiently warm to 

 perfect its elaboration. Much, therefore, de- 

 pends on stopping strong shoots to cause a sup- 

 ply of laterals to be formed, and these, if pro- 

 perly managed, will be found preferable to the 

 others. When the peach attains a bearing state, 

 unless the roots be too deep, or too highly sti- 

 mulated with manure, they seldom produce 

 wood of a character that will render an inter- 

 ference with their roots necessary. 



■Root-pruning the peach, nectarine, and apri- 

 cot is practised by Mr Fleming at Trentham with 

 the most beneficial effects, to counteract late 

 growth in a climate proverbial for its humidity, 

 and by no means warm. By this means this 

 excellent cultivator keeps his trees in a fine 



bearing state, by limiting their growth within 

 proper bounds, and thus insuring well-ripened 

 wood and buds, and as a consequence abundance 

 of fruit. As soon as the fruit is gathered from 

 the trees a general examination of their roots 

 takes place, and such as require it are shortened 

 back more or less according to their strength. 

 This checks their growth sufficiently early, and 

 facilitates the ripening of the wood, which, 

 without this cutting off the supply at the roots, 

 would continue to grow on to so late a period 

 that ripening, under the circumstances of the 

 situation, would be impossible. In all late situa- 

 tions this plan should be followed, whether they 

 be wet or dry ; and there are few places, in the 

 north in particular, where it should be neglected, 

 for it is almost midsummer before we have any- 

 thing like free and vigorous growth; and in 

 consequence of our usual mUd autumns, our 

 trees continue growing on, till their progress is 

 all of a sudden arrested by frost, the shoots 

 being full of sap, and of so gross a character 

 that no art of man can afterwards save them 

 from destruction. This is the foundation of 

 nine-tenths of all the mishaps and diseases to 

 which our wall-trees are so liable. 



The middle of September, or as soon as the crop 

 is gathered, is the proper season for root-prun- 

 ing the peach, with a view to induce productive- 

 ness the following year. The operation will check 

 the growth and hasten the ripening of the wood, 

 which, from that period till the end of the season, 

 will have sufficient time to become matured. 



Root-pruning the cherry. — Unless for the rea- 

 sons above given, this is found to be seldom 

 necessary. The stronger-growing sorts will 

 sometimes, for the first few years, make very 

 strong wood, and in such cases the operation 

 may be had recourse to ; and if not, where the 

 branches run off, bare of fruit-buds to a consi- 

 derable distance from the trunk, such well- 

 placed young wood as may arise from them may 

 be trained, using the naked branches as a trellis 

 on which to train them. We have in some cases 

 side-grafted young branches on such branches, 

 and so covered the centre of the trees with 

 young and fertile wood. Mr Rivers, with a view 

 to correct the gross habit of some of these sorts, 

 has wrought them upon Mahaleb stocks. 



Root-pruning the apricot. — In some soils root- 

 pruning is advantageously performed on this 

 tree, and we have seen it done on trees of con- 

 siderable size and age, with evident success. 

 Some pomologists, however, object to root-prun- 

 ing this tree, but upon what grounds we never 

 could clearly see. 



Root-pruning tJte fg and the vine. — In open-air 

 culture these seldom are thus operated upon, it 

 having been found better to plant them in shal- 

 low borders, with impervious bottoms, and to 

 confine the roots of the former within proper 

 bounds by walling them round. The most 

 thorough system of root-pruning is, however, 

 taking up the trees in early autumn, regulating 

 their roots, and immediately replanting them 

 again ; and this, if properly done, may be per- 

 formed with great advantage upon every kind of 

 fruit-bearing tree. In the case of amateurs, 

 and even where lai'ge trees are to be operated 



