150 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
comparative size of the trees, as judged by casual observation, that they 
are hardly worth tabulating. In discussing this point it will therefore 
be best to state the observed results in general terms. 
Other investigators have found that any pruning tends to check 
root action, and consequently reduces total wood growth. At Woburn, 
for instance, Mr. Pickering found in general that the unpruned trees 
were almost always considerably larger than even those lightly pruned. 
But there was at least one exception. In his Fifteenth Report (p. 67), 
Mr. Pickering says : " The trees which were not pruned formed on 
the average only 83 per cent, as much new wood as those which were 
pruned annually. But the explanation of this is evident, for in this 
case the absence of pruning has increased the blossoming power of the 
trees to such an extent (from 2| to 6| fold) that the growth has been 
affected, and has been reduced even below that of the pruned trees. 
Growth and fruiting, or even blossoming, are antagonistic to each 
other. ..." This is precisely the effect which is now becoming 
apparent amongst our trees. The unpruned trees of most varieties 
have cropped much more heavily than the long-spur pruned trees, and 
in several cases their heavier cropping has reduced their growth so 
much that the long-spur pruned trees are obviously catching up to 
them in size of head, and in one or two cases are already considerably 
larger. 
Some of our varieties show this effect so plainly that it is surprising 
to find only this single mention of the phenomenon in a Report on 
experiments so long continued as were those at Woburn. The only 
explanation of the difference which I can suggest is the irregular 
bearing of the Woburn trees caused by spring frosts, referred to in the 
same Report (p. 78). 
Those of our varieties in which this more rapid growth of the tipped 
and spurred trees is most obvious are not uniformly those which have 
borne the heaviest and most regular crops on the unpruned trees. 
' Early Victoria,' for instance, of which the unpruned trees began to 
bear heavy crops in their sixth year from planting (a year sooner than 
any other variety), shows it less clearly than ' Lane's,' which has not yet 
cropped as heavily as ' Early Victoria/ either pruned or unpruned. 
' Newton Wonder,' again, of which the long-spur pruned trees have 
cropped more heavily than the unpruned trees, shows it more distinctly 
than ' Allington.' Of two varieties, ' Lane's Prince Albert ' and 
' Early Victoria,' the long-spur pruned trees are clearly larger-headed 
than the unpruned trees. Of 'Grenadier,' the two series of trees are 
probably about equal in size. But the long-spur pruned trees of 
several other varieties, as well as these three, appear to be increasing 
in size of head more rapidly than the unpruned trees ; we may expect 
within two or three years to add to the above-named three varieties, 
' Worcester Pearmain,' ' Cox's Orange,' ' Newton Wonder/ and 
' Norfolk Beauty.' On the other hand, four varieties, * Bismarck/ 
' Gladstone/ ' Lord Derby/ and ' Beauty of Bath/ appear to show a 
reverse tendency, the unpruned trees still showing signs of growing 
