114 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



the trees producing a thicket of shoots and unfruitful spray. 

 Begularly as the season came round the trees had to undergo the 

 same operation, with the same result of little or no fruit follow- 

 ing. In the treatment of such trees as these grafted on free 

 stocks we have made a decided advance, as it is now fully recog- 

 nised that by allowing them freer extension fruit-buds are formed 

 naturally, and the trees to a certain extent, and after a certain 

 .time, abandon their free or semi-wild mode of growth. Any 

 kind of fruit-tree growing on the free stock may thus be made to 

 assume a restricted form by being allowed a semi-extension 

 growth. I have often been struck with the fruitfulness of Apples, 

 Pears, and Plums growing in the open when allowed to have 

 more of a free growth accorded them, but not to the extent of 

 running wild so as to appear unkempt. I cannot sufficiently 

 condemn what is by no means an uncommon occurrence now- 

 adays, viz. the stepping right out of the groove of rigid pruning 

 into the very opposite extreme of absolutely natural growth, with- 

 out any attempt or thought of even thinning out the shoots, so 

 as to allow light and sunshine to have free access. This is where 

 fruit culture is in danger of being abused now. and it behoves 

 those who undertake the culture of fruit in the open air to prac- 

 tise the best possible system whereby the trees may be made 

 fruitful, and also produce it in such a form as will ensure good 

 quality. 



Before discussing the most suitable methods of summer 

 pruning and training, I will just refer to the treatment of trees 

 which have in the past been subjected to the most rigid system, 

 and which are consequently almost devoid of fruit. They may 

 be trained to walls or growing in the open as pyramids or bushes ; 

 either will illustrate my point. Some time during the month of 

 June a thicket of shoots will be seen growing from each tree, 

 as the more they are pruned the more they appear to grow. 

 The centres of those growing in the open will be found so thick 

 that light can barely penetrate, and the natural and obvious 

 result is that the main lengths of the branches are utterly 

 destitute of fruit-buds, let alone of fruit. With such trees as 

 these — and they are by no means uncommon — the most judicious 

 and sensible course would be not to cut these shoots off whole- 

 sale, but to well thin them out in summer, even going to the 

 extent of cutting out some of the main branches, so as to allow 



