<x1 MONTHLY. [>* 
XXII. COLOMBO, MAY 1st, 1903. No. 
PRUNING OF FRUIT TREES. 
By T. R. Sni, Conservator of Forests. 
issue of the Aqiicullural Journal 
takes exception to Mr. Fred. 
Symons" statement that prun- 
ing is ft debateable subject, and 
quotes American opinion as 
being entirely in favour of 
pruning. That, however, only 
shows one side of the subject, while the fact that a 
very large proportion of the English orchards are still 
unpruned shows that there are believers iu the 
opposite view, whether they have reasonable grounds 
or not for such a belief. 
The position may be put thus ; — A fruit tree, 
like any other animate object, n.turally aims at 
reproducing itself, or rather its kind, and, in further- 
ance of that object, the production of seed is its 
chief end in life. To produce seeds the production 
of fruit is necessary, and with reasonable feeding 
and cultivation that fruit can be of very high 
quality, irrespective of pruning. A fruit tree in its 
natural condition does not, however, begin to fruit 
at an early age, it rather devotes its early vigour 
to growing into what is its natural size, and then, 
on reaching maturity, the fruting commences ia 
earnest. Fruits may be produced eailier, but these 
indicate precocity iu the kind ; the natural sequeace 
in most fruit trees enjoying vigorous health b3ing 
growth first and fruit afterwards. That being so, the 
production of a full crop from an unpruned tree 
usually occurs high up among the top branches, the 
fruiting buds in almost all fruit trees being produced 
on the branches most exposed to open .lir, which 
naturally are the highest and most spreatliug ones. 
These exposed branches often produce fruit-bads 
along their whole leugths, tut if there is sap enough, 
hose near the points flower first and secure fertili- 
ation, and the rest theu become abortive. The 
11. 
result is that on unpruned trees of vigorous habit 
the fruits are produced at the points of rather long 
and fully exposed branches, barely fit to support 
them ; they dangle about in the wind, and when 
mature are in inaccesible positions, and have to 
fall or be knocked to the ground, or be gathered 
from the trees by the use of long ladders. In 
suitable surrounding, however, they often get beyond 
the reach of ladders, and 1 have in mind 
many fine fruit trees, especially pears, in Cradock 
and other Karroo towns, which carry grand crops 
of good fruit 50 to 70 feet above the ground. The 
soil there is rich, deep alluvial, and is irrigated 
when necessary. 
A pruned tree, on the other hand, is an artificial 
production, in which Nature is subdued, kept in 
check, and regulated only in accordance with the 
skill and persistence of the operator. The extent 
and object of the pruning may vary considerably, 
but usually the object is two-fold : — 
1. To produce, in the first case, and afterwards 
keep in the same condition, a tree from which the 
fruit can be gathered direct into the basket and 
sent to market or table without a bruise. 
2. To change the whole nature of the tree from one 
of wood production to one of fruit proJuction ; that 
is, to take the vegetative vigor out of it and to 
produce an unnatural and precocious tendency to fruit. 
Now, abundant fruiting in a tree, whether pruned 
or not, usually has the effeot of further checking 
the vegetative vigour and iucreising the tendency to 
become reproductive. Any other circumstance which 
in a similar manner cheoks the wood growth usually 
hastens maturity and increases the fruit crop, luoh 
as, for instance, the root-pruniug of an over-laxu- 
riant tree, chopping ia^isioas in the bark, or al- 
lowing rats or shasp to gnaw pvrt of the birk away, 
and it is a comman practice to use stocks of the leas 
vigorous kinds ou which to grtft Ihi stronger 
growers, and thereby pvoduoe a similar check. 
iUr. Symons mjntions tlivt Niture supplies tha 
necassary check iu the case, whiu he saya ;' Ihs 
