CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE WISLEY LABORATORY. 99 



in the Wisley orchard in the summer of 1908 (or grafted in spring 

 1909), some on Paradise stock, some on Crab stock. The Paradise 

 stocks were a fairly uniform lot of what is known as Broad-leaved 

 Paradise ; the Crab stocks showed the usual variations which stocks 

 raised from seed always show, but the weakest -growing ones were 

 rejected. Crab stocks always show much variation in vigour, but on 

 the whole tend to produce more quickly-growing trees than those 

 worked upon broad-leaved Paradise stock. 



The trees received the usual treatment of nursery stock, being 

 trained to produce bushes. They were planted in their permanent 

 quarters when three years old, in open weather in early January 1912, 

 in well-prepared sandy loam at the southern end of the field then 

 known as "Howard's." The plan (fig. 43) shows their disposition. 

 The trees of each variety and stock were as nearly as possible of the 

 same size in the two comparable rows, and all were planted in ample 

 holes according to orthodox methods. 



The trees of each variety were planted in two adjoining rows, 

 one row being pruned at the end of March, the other being left 

 unpruned. The varieties chosen showed different growth-characters, 

 those worked on Paradise stock being ( Ribston Pippin ' (ten trees, 

 Nos. 701-10), ' Peasgood's Nonesuch ' (ten trees, Nos. 711-20), ' Ecklin- 

 ville Seedling ' (five trees, Nos. 741, 744, 746-8), ' Duke of Devonshire ' 

 (five trees, Nos. 742, 743, 745, 749, 750), 'Newton Wonder' (ten 

 trees, Nos. 751-60) ; those on Crab stock, ' Ribston Pippin ' (five 

 trees, Nos. 721-3, 726, 728), ' Christie Manson ' (four trees, Nos. 724, 

 725, 729, 730), ' Peasgood's Nonesuch ' (ten trees, 731-40), ' King of 

 the Pippins' (ten trees, Nos. 761-770), 'Mr. Gladstone' (ten trees, 

 Nos. 771-780). 



The treatment of each tree can be seen from the Tables, and their 

 exact positions by comparing the Tables with the plan. They were 

 planted ten feet apart each way. 



After growth had ceased in the autumn of each of the three years 

 which have elapsed since planting, the length of each branch and twig 

 produced during the previous growing season was measured, and the 

 sum of these measurements for each year is given in the Tables for each 

 tree. After the measurements had been completed each season all the 

 trees were pruned in order to give them the form desired, and to admit 

 light to the middle of the trees, each tree being treated according to its 

 requirements in these directions. The first general pruning was 

 done in February 1913. 



Results Obtained. — At that time it was evident that the trees which 

 had not been pruned after planting had far more flower-buds upon them 

 than had those which had been pruned. So marked was this that it was 

 in most cases difficult to find shoot-buds to which to prune, and conse- 

 quently pruning had to be done into the two-year-old wood made in 

 1911, instead of, as a rule with those pruned after planting, that made 

 in 1912. This was the case in every variety, so that although in 

 every case the amount of growth made in 1912 was greater in the 



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