202 IMPROVEMENT OF. 



1800 I began with what I termed baising the boots (not 'root- 

 pruning ') of some Peaehes and Apricots, for the latter were in as un- 

 fruitful a state as the others from the same cause. The method I 

 devised was as foUows :■ — First, by digging out a trench at from four to 

 five feet from the stem of the tree, and about two feet wide, tiU I found 

 the roots which were at the bottom of the good soil near three feet 

 below the surface. This had been caused by planting too deep at first, 

 and always digging the borders deep, which forced the roots still lower 

 beneath the surface ; but I must remark I found all the roots healthy, 

 which showed that the disease in the branches and leaves had not 

 afifected the roots, nor been derived from diseased or cankered roots, 

 even in that damp situation. After the earth was thrown out of the 

 trench, we began to fork out the soil with a three-pronged fork into the 

 open trench, throwing it out till we got all the roots bare to within 

 eighteen or twenty inches of the stem (of course this was root-pruning, 

 for I cut them all off to that distance), when we lifted them up and 

 bent them backwards, if not too strong, or held them up while the soil 

 thrown out in the operation of clearing the roots was returned into the 

 hole, to within nine inches or a foot of the surface, treading it well 

 down that it might not subside and admit the roots deeper than I 

 intended. I then carefully replaced the roots upon the soU, covering 

 them with the remainder, without adding either fresh soil or manure of 

 any kind. When finished, the roots lay from about nine to twelve 

 inches from the surface, instead of three feet, as before. But as the 

 trees had been planted very deep at first, or the soil had been raised in 

 the course of years, the extremities of the shortened raised roots were 

 much nearer the surface after the operation than where they issued from 

 the collar of the root ; for we could not raise that part so high. My 

 reason for doing them this way was to prevent too great a check by an 

 entire removal or lifting them up, and I left what may be termed a good 

 ball at the bottom of the stem undisturbed ; but I took good care to 

 hollow it well under, so as to get to every root that went perpendicular 

 from the stem, so as to raise them up, and lay them in a horizontal 

 position. If too strong to bend upwards, as some of them were, I cut 

 them entirely off, but I preferred raising them up, if possible, with 

 their extremities pointing to the surface, to prevent their making fresh 

 roots downwards ; my object was to encourage the formation of roots 

 as near the surface as I could, conceiving it more beneficial to the trees 

 and fruit. Afterwards I never suffered the borders to be dug above 

 half a spit deep, my main design being to have fruit as soon as possible, 

 and of good quality. I beg to remark I did only half a tree at once, in 

 order to prevent its subsiding in the operation. I pursued this plan 

 with all the Peaches and Apricots, but not in one season, because it was 

 only an experiment I was trying. Some of the trees done in this 

 manner were very large, particularly the Apricots, and some Pears. 



