PRUNING FRUIT TREES. 
271 
branches should also be shortened to maintain the balance ; 
and, further, that the long shoots left on the tree cause a con- 
siderable amount of needless evaporation of the stored-up sap, and 
make it much more difficult to secure the tree from being rocked 
about by the wind ; and, lastly, that it defeats the end in view, 
inasmuch as the development of leaves from the full-length 
shoots is so poor compared with that from shortened shoots, 
that root-action is retarded rather than advanced. These ideas 
have been gaining ground during the past few years, and the 
demonstration plots of some of our County Council authorities 
have aided in no small measure to throw light upon this and 
other kindred subjects. Of course the results upon experimental 
plots, and the results which come under the observation of every 
intelligent nurseryman from the planting of trees under his own 
supervision, are results which are measured by the eye, and 
which may, to some extent, be read differently ; but, happily, we 
have to-day established in this country, thanks to the enterprise 
of His Grace the Duke of Bedford, an experimental fruit station, 
where the results of experiments will be accurately recorded by 
men of science, so that prejudices, whether on the one side or 
the other, will not be allowed to bias the judgment of results. 
It is yet early to ask for too much information from an authority 
so recently established, though we shall, doubtless, learn much 
in the near future ; but I am told that, according to the measure- 
ments taken this year, the leaf surface upon the unpruned trees 
is 15 per cent, less than that upon the trees which had their 
branches pruned back. That the appearance of the pruned trees 
is far more promising than that of the unpruned ones, I know 
from personal observation. 
Having at some length opened this much-vexed question, let 
me hasten to say that the manner of pruning a newly planted 
tree must depend greatly upon the tree to be operated upon, and 
the results which one wishes to obtain. Broadly speaking, all 
young, well-grown, and vigorous trees should have their branches 
shortened after planting to one-third of their original length. If 
the planting is done very early in the season, the pruning may 
with advantage be deferred for a week or two, in order to mini- 
mise the risk of the buds which are left being dried up ; but in 
the case of trees planted later in the season, the pruning may be 
done at once. 
k2 
