THE PRUNING AND TRAINING OF FRUIT TREES IN JAPAN. 581 



THE PEUNING AND TEAINING OF FEUIT TEEES 

 IN JAPAN. 



By T. Ikeda, F.E.H.S., Assistant Professor of Horticulture, 

 College of Agriculture, Tokio. 



Though favoured by natural conditions, almost every aspect of fruit- 

 growing has been seriously neglected in Japan. Of our leading 

 fruits, those which bear readily like citrous fruits, loquats, plums, 

 apricots, and apples, have always been left alone without pruning and 

 training. On the other hand, fruit trees which come late into bearing, 

 or which, without proper attention, quickly degenerate, such as pears, 

 peaches, and vines, have long received more or less pruning and 

 training. Date plums are often pruned, but the majority remain of 

 their natural shape and stature. 



Our modes of training differ widely from those adopted by Western 

 nations. The prevalent mode of training fruit trees is that called 

 " tana-zukuri " (similar to "table cordons") for such kinds of fruit 

 trees as bear on spurs as well as for vines (figs. 167, 168). It is a mode 

 of training on overhead supports, and is mainly used for pears and vines, 

 though apples and plums are often trained in the same manner. Peaches 

 are also regularly trained nowadays. They require no support and form 

 dwarf bushes. They receive some pruning every year, and are trained 

 on the " open-centre " system. 



Thus, a few kinds of fruit trees alone receive more or less pruning 

 in a regular manner, while others grow quite untouched. Citrous fruit 

 trees, loquats, date plums, cherries, apricots, ume trees, plums, 

 quinces, chestnuts, walnuts, pears, and apples in some localities are 

 left quite untrained. 



It is not uncommon in our orchards to find that pears, date plums, 

 chestnuts, and citrous fruit trees have acquired the habit of fruiting in 

 alternate years. Such a state of things, the majority of our growers 

 believe, is due to Nature, and uncontrollable by men. 



Even if left quite alone, loquats, mandarins, and chestnuts make 

 rather handsome trees, being regular in their modes of branching. But 

 they bear in alternate years; and uniformity of size and quality of 

 fruits are impaired in such unpruned trees. 



Date plums, ume trees, apricots, and plums are of most irregular 

 shapes (fig. 169). They have crooked stems straggling in a most curious 

 manner. The trunks are often decayed and hollow in the centre, and 

 this has long been admired as ornamental by some people. Such a 

 diseased condition not only renders the trees worthless but is a menace 

 to the welfare of other trees. 



Strangely enough our gardeners have turned their attention to the 

 pruning and training of ornamental trees, while the fruit trees are quite 



