REPORT OF THE APPLE AND PEAR CONFERENCE. 



83 



apple trees in these orchards are generally grafted six feet from 

 the ground, and have spreading circular heads, which are 

 perfectly beautiful when in bloom. Very many of us can 

 recollect when the Weigelas of sorts were first introduced that 

 their great recommendation was that they were as " beautiful as 

 apple blossoms." Were not apple blossoms beautiful before 

 then ? 



These orchard trees, which make such a beautiful display of 

 flowers, and produce in favourable seasons such an abundance of 

 fruit, are much neglected, and allowed to grow in a confused 

 mass of branches. To scientific horticulturists it seems a pity 

 that, where nature does so much, man should do so little in the 

 way of pruning, so as to give the trees a more regular form and 

 better appearance. You will, I think, gentlemen, agree with 

 me that judicious pruning — i.e., removing weak and superfluous 

 branches, would have the good effects of improved appearance, 

 more healthy growth, and finer fruit. The general character of 

 the growth is so vigorous as to render it unnecessary to prune 

 the extremities of the shoots, except for the sake of shaping the 

 trees and balancing the heads, but " thinning out " is the style 

 of pruning requisite. 



The finer descriptions of apple fruit are grown in gardens 

 sometimes against the walls, on espaliers, or on the long cordon 

 system. The dwarf cordon is not much practised, nor is it 

 desirable, inasmuch as the growth, in spite of the Paradise stock 

 upon which the trees are usually worked, becomes so strong 

 that it requires constant cutting back to keep it within the 

 desired limits, and this constant repression of growth is not 

 conducive to fructification. 



The finest Ribston Pippin apples are grown upon south walls 

 in sheltered gardens, trained upon the fan system, the strong 

 radiative shoots being selected to form the frame of the trees, 

 and the lateral and weaker branches being pinched and pruned 

 off, so as to get fruit spurs to form. It is an excellent system, 

 barring the disadvantage of the early maturity of the fruit. 

 Very few other sorts are thought worthy of wall culture. The 

 dwarf bush, the open standards, the rider or tall standard trees, 

 are all acceptable forms cf garden trees, where the space is 

 sufficient ; and such varieties as Early Stibberd, Pied Astrachan, 

 Lord Suffield, Hawthornden, Pied Quarrenden, Hooper's Seedling, 

 Downton, King, Golden and "Walton Pippins, Grand Alexander, 

 Cox's Pomona and Orange Pippin, Court of Wick Pippin, 

 English and Dutch Codlins, &c, are grown freely on Paradise 

 as well as other stock, and take but little space. It is not 

 unusual to see crops of fruit considerably above the weight of 

 the trees producing them. Planting Paradise stock apple trees 

 in rows six feet apart, and the trees at three feet apart in the 

 rows, suggests a system of culture which might be made re- 



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