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In conclusion I must again recommend caution; enough of 
vigour must be left in the tree to support its crop of fruit, and 
one, two, or three seasons’ cessation from root pruning, will often 
be found necessary. 
By beginners the following directions should be observed : 
If a number of established trees are to be operated upon, I 
should recommend them not to be all pruned in one season : 
thus, I would prune one third the first year, and the remainder 
the two seasons following; for it must be recollected, that trees 
in a state of uncontrolled luxuriance, suddenly and severely 
root pruned, will not be able to bring any fruit to perfection 
the following season. It is perhaps departing from the fruit 
garden rather suddenly, but I cannot forbear suggesting, how 
exceedingly ornamental, even to the smallest lawns, may be 
made (by root pruning) some of the most beautiful of our 
flowering trees ; such as the varieties of the Hawthorn, Pyrus, 
more particularly Pyrus Spectabilis, a most splendid tree, but 
too luxuriant for small flower gardens ; above all, the varieties of 
Robinia, which at present, owing to their rudeness of growth, 
and consequent liability to being wind-driven, cannot be 
planted in any flower garden, or on any lawn ; with root prun- 
ing they may be made, (particulaidy as standards), objects of 
extreme beauty. 
The varieties of the Horse chestnut, many of which are too 
rude for small lawns, may also be made to produce their flowers 
abundantly ; and some of the climbing roses, such as the 
Banksian roses, varieties of Rosa Sempervirens, the Boursault 
and Ayrshire roses, may be checked by root pruning, so as to 
produce their flowers in incredible abundance. I need not 
point out to the rose cultivator the great advantage of keep- 
these too vigorous species of roses in bounds; if the soil is rich 
and they are trained to pillars, they soon get unwieldy and 
suffer much from the wind, and if the knife is used, it only 
induces an abundance of shoots, and checks all tendency to the 
production of flowers. Now radical pruning, at once remedies 
the evil, and pillars of roses from six to eight feet in height, 
may be kept at that height, producing every season thousands 
of their beautiful flowers, and never giving any annoyance from 
their over-luxuriant habits. Climbing roses should be root 
pruned every autumn, if cultivated as pillar roses on small 
