PRUNING FRUIT TREES. 
279 
Decause, added the gardener, they were pruned on the professor's 
lysteni. With regard to root-pruning, he thought it was 
ibsolutely necessary occasionally. 
A gentleman asked whether it might not be worth while to 
^et over the difficulty by preparing the trees before transplanting, 
in the same way as they ought to do with Raspberry canes. 
Mr. BuNYAED, referring to a suggestion which had been 
made that trees should be pruned by the nurserymen before 
fchey sent them out, said that it was practically impossible, for 
nurserymen were already very hard pressed for time just at the 
transplanting season, and, besides, people would not like to pay 
35. 6cl. for a well-pruned tree, because they would think it too 
small for the money. It should also be remembered that these 
trees were entrusted to railway companies. They were handled 
by inexperienced persons, and sometimes seriously damaged. If 
the trees were sent out properly pruned, and were then damaged, 
they would never be got into proper form again. 
Mr. Peaeson said he hoped he had made it quite clear that 
close pruning was the thing he was fighting against. Replying 
to questions, he said that at present we had no dwarf stock for 
Plums. With regard to the bending-down of branches, one 
method was that adopted by their old friend, Shirley Hibberd, 
who used to tie bricks and stones to the ends of them. As to 
giving information in a catalogue, his experience was that the 
reader would take no notice of what was said, as he would be 
sure to think that the nurseryman had his own axe to grind. 
With regard to pyramids, there are a number of them which 
must not be pruned at all at the end of the branches. Cherries 
did not like the knife. As regards standard trees — Apples, Pears, 
and Plums — he believed most strongly in pruning them at the 
time of planting. 
