12 THE MINIATURE FRUIT GARDEN. 



EOOT-PBUNING OF PYRAMIDAL PEAR .TREES OK QUINCE 

 STOCKS. 



Before entering on the subject of root-priming of 

 pear trees on quince stocks, I must premise that 

 handsome and fertile pyramids, more particularly of 

 some free-bearing varieties, may be reared without 

 this annual or biennial operation. If the annual 

 shoots of the tree are not more than eight or ten 

 inches long, no root-pruning need be done. I have 

 a large plantation of pear trees on the quince stock, 

 which have been made very handsome and fertile 

 pyramids, yet they have not been root-pruned, neither 

 do I intend to root-prune them. But I wish to im- 

 press upon my readers that my principal object is to 

 make trees fit for small gardens, and to instruct those 

 who are not blessed with a large garden, how to keep 

 the trees perfectly under control ■ and this can best 

 be done by annual, or at least biennial attention to 

 their roots ; for if a tree be suffered to grow three or 

 more years, and then be root-pruned, it will re- 

 ceive a check if the spring be dry, and the crop of 

 fruit for one season will be jeopardized. Therefore, 

 those who are disinclined to the annual operation, 

 and yet wish to confine the growth of their trees 

 within limited bounds by root-pruning — say once in 

 two years — should only operate upon half of their 

 trees one season ; x they will thus have the remain- 



i In The, Journal of Horticulture, for 1862, page 531, Mr. Lee, of Clevcdon, 

 gives an account of Ms root-pruning practice, which he carries out extensively on 

 some hundreds of trees. It appears to be an alternate system of root-pruning, and 

 may be done as follows :— Open a semicircular trench on one side of the tree, and 

 prune all the roots that can be got at; the following season open a trench of tho 



