REPORT OF THE APPLE AND PEAR CONFERENCE. 33 



fact is not strikingly illustrated in the outdoor world is that 

 Nature is generous, and accomplishes much in compensation for 

 the injuries that are inflicted by the pruning knife. And because 

 Nature is generous and compensative, a certain amount of prun- 

 ing may be done without harm, and, as regards the objects we 

 have in view in pruning fruit trees, with positive benefit. But 

 so long as we keep in mind that pruning in the abstract is objec- 

 tionable, we shall be careful to prune in a way to ensure a 

 maximum of the advantage for ourselves, with a minimum of 

 disadvantage to the trees. 



Keeping this in mind, we may at once compare the several 

 forms of trees with a view to arrive at conclusions as to their 

 relative values. For the present we will compare standards, 

 pyramids, and bushes. We must deal with them generally, 

 and make broad comparisons, for particular cases would require 

 particular consideration, that would be scarcely possible in con- 

 nection with this Conference. 



We will begin with standard orchard trees that bear abun- 

 dantly, as many orchard trees do. It will be observed that 

 pruning neither augments the vigour of these trees nor does it 

 promote their fruitfulness, for as, generally speaking, they are 

 not pruned at all, they teach a bold lesson of the non-necessity 

 of pruning. Now we will turn to the perfect pyramids, say of 

 apples and pears, formed to an ideal model by long years of 

 pruning and pinching. As pyramids they are perfect, being of 

 even contour, dense with foliage, with scarcely room anywhere 

 to allow one to thrust a hand in, and they are healthy and bright 

 from the ground line to the summit. It has to be remarked of 

 these compact, leafy trees that they produce so little fruit as but 

 rarely to pay a fair return for the land they occupy. They do, 

 indeed, occasionally present their owner with a crop, and often 

 he is satisfied. But if we are to take measures for increasing 

 the production of fruit we shall rather avoid than accept trees of 

 this form, or, if we must have them, we shall, having fruit in 

 view, rather promote an open growth with room to thrust one's 

 head in at many places, this form of tree being favourable to 

 fruit production. We have in our collections many kinds of 

 apples and pears that will not, no matter what we do to them, 

 conform to our ideal of the perfect pyramid. It is usual, there- 

 fore, to suffer these to grow as open loose bushes, and the 

 difference between them and the pinched pyramids is seen not 

 only in the form and furnishing, but in their superior fruit - 

 fulness. 



Pursuing the comparison, it will be observed that pruning 

 tends to promote secondary growth which is often immature 

 when the season closes. This growth, therefore, has been 

 obtained by a false system, and its uselessness is a proper com- 

 mentary on the violence done to nature. The perfect pyramid 



c 



