Book IV. 



PRUNING. 



409 



liigh, and terminate In a few branches, which stretch" out on all sides horizontally : this 

 position being given by inclining them downwards by ties. 



2128. Balloon-headed standard-trees have been formed by a mode of training adopted 

 by J. Brookhouse, Esq. at Warwick. 



The trees are apples, six feet high in their stems, from the tops of which, the branches, which are of 

 three or four years' growth, extend outwards, and nearly horizontally in all directions, from five to six 

 feet from the centre. Round the tree, at about three feet from the stem, and at two feet from the ground, 

 is placed a hoop, fastened to stakes, and towards this hoop the ends of the branches are directed by worsted 

 cords fastened to their extremities, and to the hoop. The branches, by this means, assume a curved 

 direction, straighter near to their origin in the centre, much arched afterwards, and having their ex- , 

 tremities turned inwards. The average distance from the ground to the ends of the branches thus secured 

 is about four feet. The general outline of the tree has much resemblance to that of a balloon, and the 

 cords which are attached all round to the hoop in a slanting direction inwards, increase the similitude. 

 After the fruit has been gathered, the fastenings are removed; in winter the trees are pruned, the 

 upright shoots which have been made, are shortened to spurs, except where fresh branches are wanted 

 to complete the uniformity and regularity of the whole ; and in spring the operation of tying is re- 

 peated. Sabine observes on this mode, " It is scarcely possible to conceive a rov/ of trees in a garden 

 more beautiful than one thus arranged, not only from the uniformity in size, and regularity of growth 

 of the trees ; but from the beautiful display of blossoms and fruit in the different seasons, occasioned by 

 this peculiar mode of training, which is calculated to exhibit the whole so perfectly. The advantages of 

 the plan are many and important. The downward inclination given to the branches increases the dis- 

 position to form blossom-buds, and consequently to produce more abundantly ; the foliage is well exposed 

 to receive the influence of the light and air ; the fruit is uniformly distributed over the surface of the 

 tree, and does not sufffer from being shaded by irregularly placed branches ; whilst the ligatures at tlie 

 ends of the shoots keep the whole so steady, that they are never so agitated by wind as to lose their 

 crop prematurely, nor do the bi-anches suffer like those of other trees, by lashing each other in strong 

 gales of wind." {Hort. Trans, vol. v. 186.-) However fascinating this plan may appear at first sight, and 

 for a few years while the trees are young, it is, like most of the French and Dutch modes of training just , 

 described, radically bad, and certain of ultimately defeating the object in view. The main effort of trees 

 so constrained will annually be directed to sending up upright shoots from the apex oT the balloon ; 

 and though these may be " shortened to spurs" for a year or two, the spurs so formed will only bear 

 shooti not blossoms, and will rapidly increase in size till they present only a deformed mass of knots 

 sending up a crowd of shoots, and depriving the pendent branches of nourishment. Every gardener 

 can foresee this. There is only one mode of training that nature approves of, and that is the fan 

 mode. (2144.) 



2129. Pruning, for the modification of fruit-trees trained on walls {en espalier, Fr.) or 

 on espaliers {en contre-espalier, Fr.), depends on the principle of training which may be 

 adopted. The selection being made of such shoots as are requisite for carrying on the 

 form of the training tree ; the others are to be cut off, first on the general principles re- 

 commended for all cutting (1884.) ; and secondly, according to the particular nature of 

 the tree. All trees which are much cut or constrained, have a tendency to throw out 

 over-luxuriant shoots at particular parts of the branches where the sap is suddenly 

 checked ; such shoots seem to employ the great body of the sap, and thus divert it from 

 performing its functions in the other parts of the branch or tree. The largest of these 

 shoots, the French term gourmands, or gluttons ; and the lesser ones, which have their 

 leaves very distant and the wood slender, with hardly any appearance of buds in the 

 axillae of the leaves, they term water-shoots. As soon, in the growing season, as the cha- 

 racter of both these sorts of shoots, especially of the latter, is known, they ought to be 

 pinched off, with the exception of some cases, at the discretion of an intelligent pruner, 

 where the gourmand may fill up a vacancy, supply a decaying branch, or otherwise be so 

 situated as to assist in forming the tree. This chiefly happens when they are thrown 

 out on the sides of wall-trees, so as to admit of being checked by a horizontal or ob- 

 lique position in training. What are called fore-right and back shoots, or such as are 

 thrown out nearly at right angles to the training surface, ought to be rubbed or 

 pinched off, as ill adapted for training, or being applied to the training surface ; but 

 with the same exceptions as for gourmands. Where the grand object is fruit, however, 

 it is well remarked by Marshall {Introd. to Gard.), "that in this matter, the end in view 

 is not to be sacrificed to fanciful precision." 



2130. Pruning to promote the formation of blossom-buds depends on the nature of the 

 tree. The peach and nectarine, for example, produce their blossoms on the preceding 

 year's wood ; consequently the great art of pruning a peach-tree is to have a regular 

 distribution of young wood over every part of it. This the tree has a natural tendency 

 to effect itself, and all that is required from the pruner is, when these shoots are too 

 abundant, to rub them off in the summer pruning, and where they are too few, to cut 

 or shorten some of the least valuable branches or shoots in the winter pruning. In 

 apples and pears, on the contrary, the blossoms are chiefly produced on short leafy 

 protuberances, called spurs, which form themselves naturally along the sides of the 

 shoots, chiefly of apples and pears, but also of plums, cherries, quinces, medlars, and 

 to a certain degree, the apricot, which produces blossoms on last year's wood, and on 

 spurs and small twigs from the shoots of the second year preceding. The production 

 of bearing or blossom buds is sometimes promoted by cutting out weak wood, by 

 which what remains is strengthened ; and shortening or stopping the shoots of the vine 

 m summer is believed by many to have the same effect. The rose, syringa, spiraea frutex, 

 and many shrubs, produce their blossoms in the wood of the present year, and to give 



