f 



THE PEAK 475 



become misshapen at the outset, which all 

 pruning afterwards will not be able to correct. 

 The side shoots on the stem should be shortened 

 in July as in the previous year, but in autumn 

 they are to be cleared off entirely, having per- 

 formed their allotted office ; and in cutting 

 them off, do so close into the stem, that the 

 wounds may heal over, and the stem ultimately 

 be as clear of blotches as if such shoots had 

 been removed in the nursery, or as if they had 

 never existed. Should the stem, however, be 

 still apparently too weak to sustain the head 

 without support, a few of those side branches 

 immediately under the top may be left for an- 

 other season, when they may be finally removed. 

 The head may now be allowed to take much of 

 its natural growth, for trees differ from each 

 other in the habits they assume ; the only care 

 taken being to cut out any shoots that cross 

 each other, to pinch back during summer those 

 likely to overgrow the rest, and at next winter- 

 pruning to shorten, where necessary, for the pro- 

 duction of branches where they may be required 

 for the perfect formation of the tree. 



Established orchard trees should not be left, as 

 is too often done, to run wild. The principles of 

 pruning them are simple. Thin out the branches, 

 that every part may alike enjoy the influence of 

 light and air ; remove all dead, diseased, or mis- 

 placed branches, as well as the young spray which 

 is apt to arise towards the hearts of the trees, 

 particularly after severe pruning has taken place. 

 The most superficial observer must have re- 

 marked how superior the fruit of the apple and 

 pear is, both in size, flavour, and colour, when 

 produced on the outside of the tree, or towards 

 the extremities of the branches. This is en- 

 tirely owing to the greater portion of light, sun, 

 and air it has compared with that growing to- 

 wards the centre of the tree, almost deprived 

 of these elements. This of itself should be suf- 

 ficient reason for thinning all standard fruit-trees. 

 Thinning out old and exhausted branches, and 

 encouraging those that are younger, has also 

 its advantages, because the sap becomes more 

 elaborated and concentrated in wood of three or 

 four years' growth than in such as is older ; and 

 the older the tree grows, the more sluggish is 

 the circulation of the sap in it, that recipro- 

 city which should exist between the roots and 

 the branches goes on declining, and hence the 

 tree begins to die by piecemeal, and the fruit 

 becomes inferior, and at last worthless. From 

 this it becomes quite apparent, that, as the tree, 

 from age or bad soil and climate, begins to 

 show such evident signs of decay, amputation of 

 even large limbs should take place, and that 

 young wood should be encouraged. This prin- 

 ciple is carried to its fullest extent in the opera- 

 tion of heading down the tree entirely, and al- 

 lowing it to renew itself by the formation of a 

 complete set of new branches. After this, the 

 knife will be brought into requisition until the 

 tree again assumes a size to require the use of 

 the saw in the removal of its branches. 



Pruning the apple and pear as a half standard 

 is conducted exactly as above, so far as the 

 modification of the head is concerned. The 

 branches, however, never attain so large a size, 



and are, therefore, constantly under the control 

 of the knife. The stem, in this case, averages 

 about 3 feet in height. 



Pruning the apple and pear as an open dwarf 

 (en gobelet, or en tonnoir, Fr.) — This mode is well 

 adapted to small gardens ; and as the trees are 

 not intended to be of a large size, they are 

 wrought on the doucin or paradise stock ; and 

 the sorts best adapted are those of slender 

 growth, making short wood, and requiring little 

 pruning to keep them within the prescribed 

 bounds. Trees for this purpose should be 

 planted as maiden plants, but should not be cut 

 down when planted, but allowed to stand a 

 year to become established, and then be* headed 

 down to 4 or 6 inches, according to their 

 strength : from three to four shoots will be pro- 

 duced from each of the cut-down branches, and 

 these will be sufficient to form the future head. 

 " At the end of the second year," Mr George 

 Lindley directs, (in " Guide to the Orchard," 

 p. 1 1 9,) " two or three of the best placed from 

 each branch should be selected, and shortened 

 back to 9, 1 2, or 15 inches each, according to 

 their strength, taking care to keep the head 

 perfectly balanced, so that one side shall not be 

 higher nor more numerous in its branches than 

 the other, and all must be kept as near as may 

 be at an equal distance from each other. If 

 this regularity in forming the head be attended 

 to and effected at first, there will be no diffi- 

 culty in keeping it so afterwards, by observing 

 either to prune to that bud immediately on the 

 inside next to the centre of the tree, or that 

 immediately on the outside. By this means, 

 viewing it from the centre, the branches will be 

 produced in a perpendicular line from the eye; 

 whereas, if pruned to a bud on the right or left 

 side of the branch, the young shoot will be pro- 

 duced in the same direction, so that if the 

 branches formed round a circle be not thus 

 pruned to the eyes on the right successively, or 

 on the left successively, a very material differ- 

 ence will be found, and the regularity of the 

 tree will be destroyed in one single year's prun- 

 ing, which may be readily illustrated thus : — 

 Fix four branches, either in a direct line or to 

 a circular hoop, at the distance of 8 inches from 

 each other; let the first branch on the left be 

 called a, the second 6, the third c, the fourth d; 

 head down a to the left-hand bud, b to the 

 right, c to the left, and d to the right. When 

 these have grown a year, those between b and c 

 will be only 6 inches apart, while those between 

 a and b, and between c and d, will be 10 inches; 

 thus the distances now are not as 8 to 8, but as 

 6 to 10, which would require two years' prun- 

 ing in a contrary direction to restore the head 

 to its former regularity; and it must not be for- 

 gotten that this system of pruning will hold 

 good in every other case. What has just been 

 said has reference only to the leading shoots, 

 which are always produced from the terminal 

 buds when pruned, and which alone form the 

 figure and beauty of the tree. The interme- 

 diate space must, of course, be provided for at 

 the same time, having a regard to the number 

 of branches thus employed, that they do not 

 crowd each other. On the contrary, they must 



