278 
J0UE^\1L OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTUKIL SOCIETY. 
The next place I visited was Llantillio, where to my mind the 
pruning of the trees had been done far too hardly, with the result of a 
fine crop of leaves but a small one of fruit. Many people, I think,, 
prune their fruit trees too closely, for the sake of securing an effective - 
looking tree, whereas the true object to be aimed at should be an effective- 
bearing one, and it requires far more than an ordinary amount of 
patience, skill, and perseverance to combine the two effects in one and 
the same tree. 
I next visited Brynderi, which is in a somewhat exposed position, 
especially in the winter months. In the kitchen garden my attention 
was drawn to several Apple and Pear trees upon which experiments had 
been made in root pruning, with the result that nearly the whole of the 
trees were dead. They had apparently been lifted and the soil entirely 
shaken out of the roots, which had then been shortened with a chopper. 
There are different methods of root pruning, and this had evidently not 
been one of the best. On the southern side of the hill the orchard or 
standard trees appear to have fared better, and many of them were carry- 
ing heavy crops of fruit. After this I went to Crossash, and thence to the 
top of Skenfrith Valley : this is very close to the borders of Hereford- 
shire. And here I must pause, for words fail me when I attempt to 
describe what I saw in this beautiful valley. On one side of the road, 
and often on both sides, the orchards extended for a distance of about 
two miles, laden with crimson and golden fruit. Hundreds of trees had 
to be propped to prevent their breaking with the enormous weight of 
fruit. Much of the fruit was used for making cider, especially at the 
upper end of the valley, whilst lower down, nearer the river Monnow, 
large quantities of the better varieties were grown. 
The last place I visited in this district was Hilston Court, which is in 
a somewhat exposed situation. The gardens are surrounded by a high 
wall. Here I found a large number of aged specimens of dwarf Apple and 
Pear trees, many of which, the gardener assured me, were over a hundred 
years old. Some of them, especially the Pears, were bearing heavy crops. 
In the grass orchard I found some of the finest fruit of ' Yorkshire Beauty ' 
Apple I have seen this year. 
I next visited the gardens belonging to the Bight Hon. Lord Tredegar 
at Tredegar Park, near Newport, where the soil is not so favourable for 
fruit culture as in other parts of the county. Some years ago nearly 
the whole of the trees in these gardens were standards worked on the 
free stock, and these, rooting down into the gravelly subsoil, became 
cankered. Many of them have been removed, and young trees worked 
on the dwarfing stock have taken their place. The present gardener, 
Mr. Bone, has at considerable trouble carted a large quantity of red 
loam on to the fruit borders, and lifted the dwarf trees to a much higher 
level, for the purpose of keeping the roots from the gravelly subsoil, and 
this year some excellent fruit has been grown, some of which is exhibited 
to-day. I do not wish to speak of my own orchards, except just to say 
that most of my permanent trees are on the dwarfing stock. The whole 
of the ground is cultivated and kept free from weeds. The soil is of a 
good loam, in one part approaching to red clay. The trees are vigorous 
in growth and bear good crops of fruit. ' Bismarck ' and ' Lane's Prince 
