276 JOUENAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
begins to die away. The pruning in this instance was done in a nursery. 
After the first pruning of a young newly planted tree very little cutting 
back will be required, but it is most important that the trees should be 
looked over every year, and any branches which show a tendency to cross 
one another or to grow into and crowd the centre of the tree should be 
removed. With an eight-feet-handled " Standard " pruner a man can go 
over an acre or two of trees in a short time, for at the outside it should 
not take him more than an average of five minutes a tree. It is impera- 
tive that this should be done if we wish to have well-formed trees, and 
Fig, 146. — A similar Tree, pruned in the Spring after Planting. 
prevent the severe prunings and thinnings-out that would otherwise have 
to be done in after years. 
We know that our orchards are sadly neglected, and if we did not we 
get gentlemen from some of the London daily or weekly papers to tell 
us so. Many of our County Councils are doing what they can by giving 
technical instruction to improve the orchards and fruit-growing generally. 
In Somerset the services of the County Instructor are placed at the dis- 
posal of any farmer or fruit grower in the county, and the only expense 
to the farmer or grower is in getting him from and to the station, and 
providing some simple refreshment. The farmer is asked to invite as 
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