December 26 , 1=89. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
553 
on the flowering of plants, the appearance of insects, the song and 
nesting of birds, &c. Taken as a whole 1889 was an unusually gay and 
bountiful year. 
ROOT-PRUNING. 
In the first place even old trees of some kinds will bear root- 
pruning, but not all alike. We have within these last twenty years 
root-pruned Pear trees in so severe a manner as would have been 
totally destructive of the constitution of the Peach. The trees 
were growing against a wall having a north-eastern aspect, and 
were, to all appearance at least, thirty or forty years old. Indeed, 
their trunks at the base were at the time of the operation nearly a 
foot in diameter. These trees had been useful bearing trees some 
years previously, but had ceased to be productive, producing breast- 
wood nearly a yard from the wall. A former gardener, lamenting 
their barrenness, had trenched a huge quantity of manure in at 
their roots, which was the only cure known to him for all vege¬ 
table diseases. The best of the joke, however, remains ; the trees 
had huge old spurs all over them, extending 6 inches from the wall, 
most of them of a peculiarly remarkable character ; these he at the 
same time shaved clean away. What, of course, might have been 
anticipated did indeed occur ; the trees made what was termed 
capital new wood, and this, according to the most approved ancient 
recipe, was scientifically spurred back with the idea of generating 
fruit spurs. The obstinate trees, however, had been so much 
accustomed to run riot that they became actually more unmanage¬ 
able, .and instead of yielding their contributions to the proprietor’s 
fruit room they continued year by year to augment the faggot pile. 
Still the worthy who managed them persisted in spurring back 
with an amount of patience which really deserved a better fate. 
In this state, then, we found the trees twenty-two years ago when 
next March arrives. We had then been what may be termed 
dabbling in root-pruning somewhat secretly, for in those times we 
could not afford to be laughed at. Ringing also had been prac¬ 
tised, and in a year or so afterwards these huge Pears had a ring of 
bark removed of some 4 or 5 inches in diameter all round the bole. 
“ Kill or cure ” was the maxim. We will not go so far as to say 
that the trees made as much breastwood as ever, but truly they 
still rambled away disregarding our puny efforts. Neither, as far 
as we remember, were any amount of blossom buds produced 
worthy of notice ; and, strange to say (old as the trees were, and 
possessing a huge excrescence of old bark nearly an inch in thick¬ 
ness), the wound made by ringing commenced healing with such 
rapidity that in a couple of years we could barely discern the place 
whence the bark had been removed. 
Finding that ringing would not reach the evil recourse was next 
had to root-pruning, and as the trees showed such an amount of 
hardihood we determined that this business should not be half 
done. An excavation was accordingly made in front of each tree 
opposite the bole, and at about half a yard distance from 
it; and here we cut through every root which presented a 
barrier to such proceedings, feeling assured that some enormous 
tap roots had penetrated the subsoil, which is what is termed 
by the country people a “ booty sand,” that is to say, an 
adhesive material, which appears to blend the marly with the sand¬ 
stone principle. After passing through or between huge black 
roots we indeed met with the tap roots, and really one tree stood 
more like a three-legged stool than anything else. Three huge 
black roots had struck down almost perpendicularly. Here, then, 
lay the true secret of the enormous amount of breastwood. These 
fangs were cut away, and a great sacrifice this appeared. We here 
found, too, the stratum of manure before alluded to at about 4 feet 
in depth, or nearly so ; it had become in time a complete humus, 
or peaty-looking substance, and was crossed in all directions with 
roots. The soil was then filled in, and, it being the month of 
December, we waited with some anxiety to see how far this strong 
operation would affect the production of breastwood the following 
spring. April and May arrived, but what a change had occurred ! 
The trees could scarcely develop a shoot of 6 inches in length all 
that summer, and we now found that cutting away the roots, or in 
other words restricting the supply of food, was a more powerful 
operation by far than merely arresting or clogging the vital action 
for a time by means of ringing. The trees now became short- 
jointed ; spurs, real natural spurs, began to form, and thencefor¬ 
ward we began to eat Pears again. The trees have continued to 
bear tolerably good crops in most seasons since, but, strange to say, 
they are again inclined to become somewhat over-luxuriant. 
I ought to mention here that the cutting of the roots was so 
severe that the main trunk of the trees (which I before named as 
nearly a foot in diameter at bottom, and might be about 6 inches 
at the top) sunk, and became detached from the wall which it 
before joined, and at this time the main bole hangs 6 or 8 inches 
from the wall at the top. 
First in order, then, we would name the Pear as the most 
eligible for this operation ; this, we think, has become tolerably 
manifest. Next to the Pear we think the Apple may be placed, 
then the Plum, next the Peach and Nectarine, then the Cherry and 
Apricot. We speak now of the ordinary wall fruits, and the order 
in which they are here placed is intended to point both to their 
vital powers of endurance, as also to the frequency of the cases 
which may be expected to present themselves to fruit growers. 
To begin with the Pear, we must point to the fact that on the 
free stock this tree is peculiarly liable to tap roots. On the Quince 
it is quite another matter ; here the roots are of the most fibrous 
character, so much so that we can barely conceive a case in which 
root-pruning becomes necessary. We, nevertheless, have some 
against us who, it would seem, root-prune even on this stock 
periodically. We must, however, remember the object, which is to 
produce trees so dwarf and compact in character that the holder of 
a score square yards may possess his miniature fruit garden and 
vegetables to boot. As to the free stock, then, if Pears are grow¬ 
ing luxuriantly on these without bearing, it is almost impossible to 
root-prune too severely, at least the deeper roots. If in an orchard, 
and trees are of some size, they may be curtailed all round also ; 
the amount of root removed bearing, of course, a direct ratio to 
the amount of luxuriance. In the espalier border we must be con¬ 
tent to get at them how we can, remembering what we before ob¬ 
served that even the cutting of one side will assuredly affect the 
whole system of the tree, although perhaps not in an equal degree. 
The Apple is found in such a variety of shapes and sizes that it is 
not very easy to generalise a system of root-pruning, at least so as 
to make ourselves generally understood by those who have not yet 
dabbled in its practice. We may first observe that the Apple even 
on the Crab or free stock is not quite so liable to tap roots as the 
Pear on the wild or free stock. Another point we may name also 
—the Apple with an over-severe amount of root-pruning is apt to 
become infested with red spider during the first summer after the 
operation. This we have repeatedly proved, and the remedy is some¬ 
times worse than the disease. We introduce this caution to show 
that some degree of moderation becomes necessary, and that 
although root-pruning is correct in principle, yet it may be pre¬ 
judiced in rash hands. We always deem it expedient, therefore, 
to apply a mulching to espalier or trained Apples immediately on 
the heels of the operation. This encourages surface roots, and 
prevents the too sudden operation of extreme drought, which, com¬ 
bined with root-pruning—the summer succeeding the operation—is 
almost sure to cause the tree to be infested with the spider, the 
scale, or what is as bad as either, that rusty-looking fungus on the 
leaf, which if not checked may soon break up the constitution of 
the tree. We have had much experience of this last enemy, to 
which light and hot soils are peculiarly liable, and the only cure 
for it, as far as our experience goes, is a permanency of moisture at 
the root.—N. 
HEDGE PLANTS. 
(Continued from page 463.') 
COLLETIA HORRIDA. 
I will now glance at another plant, not, I fear, plentiful enough 
to form hedges to any great extent, but I will ask, Has anyone used 
Colletia horrida for that purpose, for which its touch-me-not 
character would seem to fit it well ? I believe it to be sufficiently 
hardy for most situations that are tolerably dry, and it is not so 
shy a grower as some plants are. It certainly has not the fault of 
growing so late in the autumn as not to ripen the ends of the 
shoots ; for the growth being moderate and the habit good, it 
seems well adapted for a hedge or fence almost without training 
or pruning of any kind, and the shoots being always of a rich green 
hue, the appearance must be good. I should certainly think it 
must make a sturdy fence, as every bit of it is pointed, and I should 
say as difficult to approach by man or beast as any plant I know, 
unless it be some of the Cactus tribe. Furze has no chance ivith 
it in keeping out intruders. 
Colletia cruciata. 
This is not a less interesting object for hedge culture. It differs 
widely from the above, but its spines are scarcely less formid¬ 
able. The plant, I imagine, is also much less hardy, and of slower 
growth : it may be advantageously grown for its curious character, 
and its white flowers are likewise attractive, being in some seasons 
produced in great abundance ; it is not yet plentiful enough to 
become a competitor with other plants to form hedges, although its 
habit and appearance entitle it to notice. 
It is not intended in this article to enumerate all the numerous 
plants used for hedges. The most common are Holly, Yew, Box, 
Arbor-Vitse, Privet (both alone and mixed with other plants), 
several Cypresses, Laurels, and the like. The term fence cannot 
well be applied to many of these, although they make highly 
