66o Pruning of Newly-Planted Fruit Trees, [feb., 



school, or by means of a migratory dairy school, which visits a 

 number of different centres each season. A similar system is 

 adopted with farriery. 



A number of counties carry out field experiments or demon- 

 strations, and many have school gardens attached to day or 

 evening schools. In the same way many have fruit-growing 

 stations, demonstration gardens, or trial allotments. 



Full information respecting the work carried on in each 

 county will be found in the Board's Annual Report on Agri- 

 cultural Education {Cd. 3,317, price jod.),to which reference 

 should be made for further particulars. 



THE PRUNING OF NEWLY-PLANTED 

 FRUIT TREES. 



"There are certain points in connection with fruit which seem 

 irrevocably bound up with controversy, and the reason is that 

 by following what appear to be exactly opposite courses, results 

 are secured in each case which are claimed to be equally satis- 

 factory. The early pruning of newly-planted trees may be taken 

 as an example. 



As a rule the trade cultivators look coldly on the pruning of 

 young trees fresh from their professional hands, and in view of 

 their training and experience, their opinion is entitled to respect. 

 But it may, nevertheless, be misleading, for it must be remem- 

 bered that the fruit nurseryman devotes himself to the 

 raising of young trees which are subjected to one uniform 

 routine. He propagates or buys stocks, buds or grafts them, 

 grows the trees for three or four years, and then sells them. In 

 very few instances has he the same intimate knowledge of 

 trees six years old and upwards that he has of trees half 

 that age. 



The shifting of young trees of saleable size in nurseries is 

 generally of annual occurrence. The varieties are grown in 

 separate blocks or "breaks," and when the sale season ends there 

 are gaps in every block indicating where plants have been re- 

 moved for the execution of orders. A closing-up process follows. 



