394 



HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



more fruit, but will be also able to support a 

 much heavier load of it without danger of being 

 broken ; for any given weight will depress the 

 branch, not simply in proportion to its quantity, 

 but in the compound proportion of its quantity, 

 and of its horizontal distance from the point of 

 suspension, by a mode of action similar to that 

 of the weight on the beam of the steelyard ; and 

 hence 150 lb., suspended at 1 foot distance from 

 the trunk, will depress the branch which sup- 

 ports it no more then 10 lb. at 15 feet distance 

 would do. Every tree will therefore support 

 a larger weight of fruit, without danger of being 

 broken, in proportion as the parts of such weight 

 are made to approach nearer to its centre. We 

 have gone to some length on this head, as we 

 know little attention is in general , paid to 

 standard fruit-trees, and more especially in 

 orchards of high repute, and from which a con- 

 siderable profit is expected to arise. If there be 

 any department in gardening in a more deplor- 

 able state than another, of a surety it is our com- 

 mercial orchards. Indeed, even where better 

 things might be expected, standard fruit-trees 

 are allowed to grow as if they had no legitimate 

 owner. 



Coxe, an American pomologist of high repute, 

 remarks very truly, " when orchard trees are 

 much pruned, they are apt to throw out nume- 

 rous (superfluous) suckers from the boughs in 

 the following summer ; these should be rubbed 

 off when they first appear, or they may be easily 

 broken off while young and brittle, — cutting is 

 apt to increase their number." This chiefly 

 takes place when trees have been long allowed 

 to grow wild, and afterwards been subjected to 

 unnecessarily severe pruning. 



Our principal orchard as well as full standard 

 fruit-trees are the apple, pear, plum, and cherry. 

 The above remarks have reference chiefly to 

 the two first of these, and the following to the 

 two last. The muscle plum, Orleans, and dam- 

 son, are the principal plums fitted for stand- 

 ard or orchard culture in the northern counties 

 of England and most of Scotland. There are, 

 however, some varieties of other plums of in- 

 ferior quality grown in some of our commercial 

 orchards, whose total extirpation would be no 

 serious loss. In the south the case is different, 

 and there the green gage and other first-rate 

 plums are met with ripening in great perfection. 

 Plums, when grown as full standards, require 

 but little pruning, and that consists of moderate 

 thinning out of the branches when the trees 

 have passed the meridian of their growth. The 

 plum is liable to suffer from spring frosts on 

 account of its early blossoming ; it is therefore 

 wise not to thin their branches too much, as 

 often, when the frost has destroyed all the 

 blossom on the outer branches of the trees, those 

 that are towards the centre will escape, on 

 account of the protection afforded them by the 

 external ones. Indeed, the same rule holds good 

 even in more favourable climates, and therefore 

 a self-protecting power like that, although, as 

 Mr Errington observes, it may cause " the tree to 

 look somewhat confused amongst its sprucely 

 pruned neighbours, must not be despised, more 

 especially as it brings such fruit to perfection 



despite of its unsystematic appearance." The 

 cherry, with the exception of the May duke and 

 Kentish, are not so productive in our northern 

 orchards as in those of the south ; but we have 

 several varieties of geans which rival either in 

 flavour and productiveness. In the south the 

 case is different, the greatest drawback in their 

 culture being the difficulty to preserve them 

 from birds, and hence we would suggest the 

 propriety of growing them as espaliers or dwarf 

 standards, in which case they could be readily 

 protected by nets. Standard cherries require 

 little pruning, except shortening back the young 

 shoots for a year or two after planting. They 

 submit unwillingly to pruning when of a large 

 size, and are apt to dwindle away after the re- 

 moval of many of their large branches. The case 

 is rather different when trained as espaliers or 

 dwarf standards. In both cases they will con- 

 tinue productive for years under a judicious use 

 of the pruning-knife. 



Pruning dwarf standards. — Much of what has 

 been said above is applicable to these also. 

 They are, however, more generally planted in 

 gardens, and require a greater degree of nicety 

 in their management. Here also the kind of 

 tree should be allowed to assume its own natural 

 character without restraint, and the branches so 

 disposed that the sun and air may penetrate to 

 all parts of it. At the winter-pruning every shoot 

 of the present season's growth should be cut 

 clean away, excepting the terminal ones at the 

 points of the branches, which should be short- 

 ened back to half their length, or more, accord- 

 ing to their strength, and the size the tree is 

 intended to be grown to. Natural spurs or 

 fruit-buds will protrude from the main branches 

 all over the tree in most kinds of apples and 

 pears, and others will arise from those parts 

 where the young shoots were cut from, without 

 the encouragement of artificial spurs, as is so 

 often practised. Some sorts of apples are better 

 adapted to this mode of pruning than others, 

 and there are some few to which it is wholly in- 

 applicable. 



Spring pruning, although highly recommend- 

 ed by some, is equally condemned by others. 

 Downing says, " We should especially avoid 

 pruning at that period in spring when the buds 

 are swelling, and the sap is in full flow, as the 

 loss of sap by bleeding is very injurious to most 

 trees, and in some brings on a serious and in- 

 curable canker in the limbs." 



Hay ward in his " Inquiry into the Causes of 

 Fruitfulness and Barrenness in Plants and Trees," 

 and also in his " Science of Horticulture," has 

 strongly advocated constraining fruit trees within 

 limited bounds. In the former of these works, 

 page 235, he observes : " If it be desired to train 

 them so as to fill a circular space, like bushes, 

 they are best trained with their branches re- 

 versed, as by this mode they are not only 

 brought to bear a great deal of fruit in a small 

 compass, but are confined and protected against 

 injury from high winds without stakes, which 

 saves a great deal of trouble and expense. To 

 follow this plan, plants must be obtained to fur- 

 nish one upright stem, of from 3 to 4 feet in 

 height, and at this height be made to throw out 



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