COBBETT S NOTIONS OF PRUNING. 
449 
COBBETT'S NOTIONS OF PRUNING. 
The Mid/and Florist, albeit as much de- 
voted to fruit as to flowers, thus describes 
Cobbett's notions of pruning : — 
1. The inside of the tree is to be kept mo- 
derately clear of wood of any sort, which 
must be cut out for that purpose. 
2. If the wood is considered as being too 
close or too crowded in any other part of the 
tree, part of it must he cut away to leave it 
more open. 
3. All decayed or dead branches to be cut 
out. 
4. All branches that cross one another to be 
also cut out. 
5. All suckers to be cut close to the ground. 
6. Prune the remainder of the tree by cut- 
ting the last year's wood down to the last bud 
upon it, or at most leaving not more than two 
buds. 
Cobbett is a good authority for almost any- 
thing practical, unless his interest touches the 
question, hence his general gardening is 
good ; but he was not quite so honest in the 
praise of his Cobbett's corn. The above rules 
for pruning have been gathered by the writer 
in the Midland Florist, who may or may not 
have perfectly understood the author ; but we 
shall deal with them as they are put forth by 
a work that is read very generally, and give 
our notions of them seriatim. 
First, then, " the inside of the tree is to be 
kept moderately clear of wood of any sort, 
which must be cut out for that purpose." 
It is quite certain that one half our English 
orchards are ruined for want of attention to 
this one point. We see everywhere the heads 
of fruit-trees a mass of wood, so close that 
neither sun nor air can get to the interior ; 
and when in full leaf even the light can hardly 
penetrate ; brushwood like a thicket, branches 
crossing each other in all directions, and so 
close that nobody could climb the inside, and 
consequently the whole of the interior of the 
head barren, or with worthless stunted and 
blighted fruit, but often with none at all ; 
noble trees, bearing only on the surface, and 
even there bearing very inferior fruit. Com- 
mon sense ought to inform us that light, air, 
and sun are absolutely necessary for the per- 
fecting of fruit ; and we have for years en- 
deavoured to inculcate the necessity of thin- 
ning out standard trees as carefully as we 
prune w-all-fruit. Some kinds of trees have a 
tendency to grow upright branches, and it is 
a proper course then to make tlie head of the 
tree form a kind of basket ; that is, by keeping 
the inside quite clear, and regulating the 
branches all round. If we began with trees 
young enough, there are many sorts that would 
form a complete funnel, the branches growing 
- 50. 
outwards and upwards, but sloping out all the 
way round; and these well regulated will give 
fine fruit in every foot of their growth, because 
the sun reaches the inside as well as the out- 
side, and there is a double surface to act upon ; 
but, whatever be the habit of the tree, we 
would sooner see a clovv^n chopping indiscrimi- 
nately with his billhook, right and left, till he 
cleared the inside of the head, than see it 
crowded, as thousands are, to the detriment of 
the quantity and quality of the crops. Inju- 
dicious pruning is better than none at all. It 
is better to have half a tree bearing well, than 
a thicket of stunted and blighted produce, 
not fit for use. The pruning of a tree is a 
simple operation; and Cobbett's first rule cannot 
be disputed — " The inside of the head must be 
kept moderately clear of wood." The sun 
and air must be let in, and all the barren sticks 
and brushwood that crowd inside, must be cut 
out ; nor ought the size or supposed value of 
a branch to stop the operation : better have 
a mere skeleton, and let new and healthy 
branches grow, than allow limbs to cross and 
incommode each other. Let there be light. Set 
about your orchards in earnest. Cut out 
enough wood to keep you in firing all the win- 
ter ; reduce the old scrubby head one-half ; 
cut the middle of the ti-ee out as clear as if 
you wanted to build a room in it. Never 
calculate how many less apples, or pears, or 
plums you may have, but think of how much 
larger and better they will be, and of half the 
number filling the bushel. The most difiicult 
trees to manage are those which have upright 
trunks all the way to the top ; but here tlie 
work is straight before you. It is quite cer- 
tain you cannot cut out the centre, but cut off 
at the base, close to the trunk, every branch 
that can be spared, and cut oif all the shoots 
along those branches that are left on, for a 
good six feet from the trunk, because they 
cannot bear fruit of any value, as the light 
cannot reach them ; or it may be that by 
taking off all the shoots for six feet next the 
trunk, and thinning the others out even to the 
ends, the tree may be open enough without 
losing any of its main limbs. At all events, 
be not afraid of the knife and the billhook and 
the saw, for they are, in nine cases out of ten, 
the only requisites to renovate trees foolishly 
said to be worn out, when there is nothing 
the matter but Avant of air and sun, and a 
little curtailment of the work the root has to 
perform. We only wish Mr. Cobbett's first 
rule were at once attended to all over the 
kingdom. But a bad example has a sad effect; 
and when we see market-gardens full of fruit- 
trees which the sun cannot penetrate, we need 
not wonder at private gentlemen and holders 
G G 
