662 Pruning of Newly-Planted Fruit Trees, [feb., 



that it leads to a loss of crop, and entails extra labour in later 

 years ; it means in the first place a sacrifice of income, and in 

 the second increased expenditure. The fruit grower is wise who 

 resolves to shape his trees with care in their early days, and thus 

 avoid the ill-shapen and overcrowded specimens that are often 

 met with. The question of increased labour is equally important 

 with that of loss of crop. A tree that is carefully shaped at the 

 outset can be pruned in after years with ease and rapidity ; a 

 neglected tree makes pruning troublesome and slow. 



When a fruit tree is lifted in a nursery in the execution of an 

 order it is, in theory, taken up with care and deliberation by a 

 body of picked men, who retain all the fibrous roots and handle 

 it with caution, so that neither branches nor root-stock are 

 injured, but it is inevitable that it should lose a great many 

 roots, and since the loss of fibres must destroy the balance be- 

 tween root and head, it is wise to ask whether it ought not to be 

 restored by reducing the branches to correspond with the reduc- 

 tion of the roots. One reason apart from theory is that the 

 check consequent on shifting and loss of fibres will often throw 

 a young tree into fruiting. Buds un the upper parts of the young 

 branches ^if these are left) become developed into fruit buds. 

 They bloom, the fruit sets, and the inexperienced grower con- 

 gratulates himself on getting a crop so soon. His satisfaction, 

 however, is short lived, as the tree is too poorly rooted to develop 

 a crop and make growth at the same time. The unpruned 

 shoots are consequently dragged down by the weight of the fruit, 

 the shape of the tree is lost, and -the successional growth is 

 scant}'. 



This prevention of premature fruiting is a strong reason in 

 favour of pruning after planting. It confines the trees to one 

 duty, and one only- — that of making growth, which is the best 

 task a tree can engage in during its first year in the permanent 

 plantation. If a tree is crippled through fruiting too soon, what- 

 ever return the crop yields will be dearly bought. The position 

 of the market grower differs in this respect from that of the 

 exhibitor. A few fruits are of no particular use to the farmer 

 who wants bulk ; whereas they may- be of great importance to 

 an exhibitor for making up prize dishes. - --^ - ■ ^- -- 



Two things are necessary to make a market tree remunerative ; 



