Planting Fruit Trees for Home Use S TMF R 
[Editor’s Note. — In last month’s issue the fitness or otherwise of dwarf fruit trees was discussed from the home garden point of view; because 
the conditions will vary in different regions it was emphasized that no general rule could be laid down. Moreover it is not desirable to plant dwarf fruits un- 
less they are to be given the attention they require; but inasmuch as the home garden is not a commercial orchard there are great opportunities for the 
dwarf fruit tree if only because it enables the gardener to indulge in a big variety on a comparatively small area. The reader is advised to consider the present 
article in the understanding of last month’s contribution , which laid down certain basic facl.\ 
W HEN 
planting 
dwarf 
fruits the 
average man has to 
adapt himself to a 
newscaleof distances; 
and indeed this is 
quite important. 
Where apples are to 
be used on walls they 
will frequently need 
18 to 20 feet of wall 
space, while pears on 
standard roots might 
be given as much as 
30 feet, sour cherries 
on Mahaleb roots 15 
feet, nectarines and 
peaches may be con- 
tained in 15 feet 
width, plums and ap- 
ricots 20 feet. In 
some instances where 
figs are grown 15 to 18 
feet are allowed; this 
with walls 12 feet 
high. If the walls are 
not SO high a greater This dwarf apple, grafted on 
distance should be 
given. Thus, on a wall 6 feet high, a dwarf 
apple on Doucin stock may need 30 feet, 
cherries and pears up to 35 feet, some of the 
plums almost as much. Some varieties will 
stand more pruning back than others. 
In planting the aim should be to set the 
trunk at least 9 inches from the wall so that 
it will not be in touch with it. In some in- 
stances trees which have already been trained 
and are five or six years old or more are se- 
cured and planted in order to furnish imme- 
diate returns, while the trees which are to 
permanently occupy the space are given 
more time to develop. 
ADVANTAGES OF WIRES VS. WALLS 
Espaliers on wires have the advantage over 
wall trees in that they can bear on both sides. 
The fruit can become very much better col- 
ored. The bush, small standard or pyramid 
trees when on Paradise root may be planted at 
12 feet apart; when on Doucin root 20 feet 
would be better, but even this will be modified 
to some extent by the variety. A variety 
such as Winter Banana or Wagener which 
comes into bearing early and persists will not 
attain the same height nor spread as Tompkins 
King or Stayman or some other free-growing 
variety, and it is important that one become 
familiar with the habit of each variety before 
determining the distance to give it. 
WHAT KIND OF STOCK 
For the man who likes to grow fruit as a 
recreation, probably there is nothing which 
can furnish so much satisfaction as a selection 
of high class apples on the Paradise stock. 
In passing it may be mentioned that the 
Paradise stock, or as some call it, French 
Paradise, is the one which gives the most 
dwarfing effect of all; it is the only one to use 
for Cordons and small Espalier; while the 
Doucin, sometimes called the English or 
broad-leaved Paradise, is only semi-dwarf. 
pinched back with the 
exception of one or 
two which are allowed 
to continue the 
growth in the main 
direction, that is, in 
the horizontal they 
are continued horiz- 
ontal, in the upright 
cordon the upper 
shoot is allowed to 
pass on upward. Dur- 
ing the winter time 
these are shortened 
back to keep the tree 
in bounds and this is 
much more easily ac- 
complished after the 
tree comes into bear- 
ing than before. As 
soon as the tree is 
well in bearing these 
leaders can be cut 
back to two or three 
buds and should 
growth still continue 
to be too rampant it 
is the custom in Eu- 
Doucin stock has been trained to form a table. Its trunk shows that it has acquired some age rope to root-prune. 
The trees may attain a height of 20 feet when 
grown on this root. Of all forms the bush or 
small standard is the most easy to handle and 
perhaps the most satisfactory, although if one 
decides to plant on the property line probably 
nothing would make a more satisfactory hedge 
or division fence than a row of upright cor- 
dons. The upright cordon also lends itself 
to shaping so that it may be trained to con- 
stitute an arch, depending somewhat on the 
location. 
Winter and summer pruning are usually 
given; as soon as the bulk of the shoots have 
made a growth of 7 or 8 leaves they are 
Walls offer positive protection from cold. Thus in Western 
New York this apricot thrives on the wall of a house 
THE ART OF ROOT-PRUNING 
A trench is dug three or four feet away 
from the tree and every root is cut off, per- 
haps half the tree is done at one time and half 
at another. This may be done any time be- 
tween early winter and May. We have suc- 
cessfully root-pruned trees in June, but pre- 
fer to not do it later than this, our idea being 
that up to June all growth made is taken from 
food already stored in the trees the previous 
year; certainly the bulk of it is. From this 
time on the tree is busily engaged in the forma- 
tion of fruit buds, and the storing of sap for 
the ensuing year and if its energies are largely 
centred in the production of fruit buds, little 
pruning should be given which would upset 
it. The root-pruning may be just as well 
done when the leaves drop in fall as in early 
spring and at the time of root-pruning a cer- 
tain amount of heading back can then be 
accomplished. If the tree is growing too 
vigorously it may be root pruned on both 
sides. In the case of wall trees and where the 
wall runs into the ground to the extent of 
two feet all the roots will be found to be on one 
side of the wall. Occasionally a tree is found 
which has a deep-growing tap root and from 
our experience this is more common in Spy 
than in any other variety we grow. To keep a 
tree dwarf it is necessary to cut this. Apple 
trees on Paradise should be planted deep 
enough, yet not so deep that the trunk sends 
out roots. I have seen them planted 4 inches 
deeper than the bud with advantage, but in 
such cases it is necessary to examine them 
from time to time and make sure the trunk is 
not sending out roots. 
There is a great tendency for small standard 
or bush trees on Paradise to blow over. The 
deep planting tends to assist them to remain 
upright. They are not as long lived as stand- 
ard trees. 
From time to time diseased and affected 
177 
