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THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



From the National Intelligencer. 

 ROOT PRUNING. 



It has been ascertained that the best 

 mode of pruning fruit trees is what is 

 called root pruning, especially in gardens, 

 and when applied to pears. It has been 

 found, too, that the best way to produce 

 precocious fruitfulness in this fine species 

 of fruit is to graft on the quince stock, 

 from its being almost an equatic tree, and 

 flourishing in nearly all soils. English 

 gardeners have said that " pears engrafted 

 on the quince stock give the finest fruit, 

 and this has been found to be true." In 

 relation to root pruning, I give the follow- 

 ing, the remarks of a very skilful culti- 

 vator of England, Mr. T. Rivers, which 

 will be found useful, to those especially 

 who cultivate fruits in gardens. The 

 practice has been adopted in England for 

 about ten years with great success. 



"For immediate effect, the tree should 

 be prepared by annual root pruning for 

 one, two, or three years in the nursery ; 

 but, if not so prepared, trees of the usual 

 size and quality may be planted and suf- 

 fered to remain two years undisturbed ; 

 unless the soil is rich and they make vi- 

 gorous roots the first season after planting, 

 operations may then commence the first 

 season. Thus, supposing a tree to be 

 planted in November or December, it may 

 remain untouched two years from that 

 period, and then, early in November, if 

 possible, acircumferential trench, ten inches 

 from the stem of the tree, and eighteen 

 inches deep, should be dug, and every 

 root cut with a sharp spade, which should 

 be introduced quite under the stem at 

 about fifteen inches in depth, so as to 

 completely intercept every perpendicular 

 root." (The spade should be steeled at 

 the edge and very sharp.) " The follow- 

 ing year, the third from planting, a trench 

 may be again opened at fourteen inches 

 from the stem, so as not to injure the 

 fibrous roots of the preceding summer's 

 growth, and the spade a^ain used to cut 

 all the circumferential and perpendicular 

 roots that are getting out of bounds ; the 

 fourth year the same operation may be 

 repeated at eighteen inches from the stem ; 



and in all subsequent root pruning this 

 distance from the stem must be kept. 

 This will leave enough undisturbed earth 

 around each tree to sustain as much fruit 

 as ought to grow, for the object is to ob- 

 tain a small prolific tree." 



The writer observes that a perfect ball 

 of fibrous roots is formed in the course of 

 a few years, which requires to be occa- 

 sionally heaved down to ascertain if any 

 large feeders are making their escape 

 from it. Each tree should be manured 

 every autumn, and the manure suffered 

 to be washed in by the rains of winter 

 and drawm in by worms. " The great 

 end to attain," he says, " is to give the 

 mass of spongioles enough nutriment in 

 a small space, but not too much, so that 

 a tree will make shoots about four inches 

 long in one season, and at the same time 

 be able to produce an abundance of blos- 

 som-buds and fruit. On trees of many 

 varieties of pears the former will be in 

 too great abundance. I think removing 

 a portion in early spring would be an im- 

 provement in pear culture." 



In relation to pruning the branches he 

 says : "All that is necessary is the occa- 

 sional removal of a crowded branch, the 

 fact being that root pruning almost does 

 away with the necessity of branch prun- 

 ing; sometimes, however, a root will es- 

 cape the spade, and then in the following 

 summer a vigorous shoot or two will 

 make their appearance; these should be 

 shortened in July* to within four buds of 

 their base, and the following autumn the 

 feeding root must be diligently searched 

 for and pruned." 



Mr. Downing, in his valuable work on 

 the Fruits and Fruit Trees of America, 

 says that " root pruning in this country 

 will be most valuable in its application to 

 common standard trees which are thrifty, 

 but bear little or no fruit. They will 

 generally be found to require but a single 

 pruning to bring them into a permanently 

 fruitful condition ; and some sorts of pears 

 and plums which do not usually give a 

 fair crop till they are twelve or fourteen 



* Any shoots inclined to vigorous growth 

 should be shortened this month, as it tends to 

 the formation of incipient bloom-buds. 



