THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, May 31, 1359. 
121 
THE CAUSES OF BARRENNESS IN CERTAIN 
FRUIT TREES. 
(Continued from, page 106.) 
The Apple.— It is a strange fact that some Apple trees, 
wliieli have for years borne inferior crops, or perhaps, 
scarcely any, will commence bearing in any portions 
which become cankered. This is peculiarly the case here 
with some old Ribston Pippins; but I must observe that 
the fruit produced from such branches is not so juicy as 
from healthy shoots. They become somewhat dry and 
mealy soon after Christmas ; but with us they are gene¬ 
rally larger than others, and of a much higher colour. 
In most cases I have found that root pruning is 
highly efficient for inducing a fruitful habit. Some 
persons resort to cutting back old trees into the old wood, 
in order to renew them ; but I never knew the practice 
to prove satisfactory. I have seen, many years since in 
the neighbourhood of the metropolis, trees with limbs of 
considerable size cut back to about five' feet from the 
ground—reduced to mere stumps, and this along whole 
lines in kitchen gardens of some pretensions. I had an 
opportunity of noticing such trees for years ; the first 
year or two after pruning they made such fine-looking 
growths, that the operator would consider them the best 
feature in the garden. These trees bore, at two or three 
years after this hard pruning, a sprinkling of moderate 
fruit; but they soon began to show marks of age, and, 
indeed, most of the trees cankered worse than they had 
done. They, in fact, became unsatisfactory, and were 
shortly replaced by young trees. There is little doubt 
but that roots in old trees become what is vulgarly called 
“ hide-bound,” which means, if it means anything, that 
some constriction or induration has taken place in the 
roots. 
The Plum.— Here, again, we have a case after the 
manner of the Apricot. Most Plums are free enough in 
the production of blossoms; but they are all extremely 
susceptible of atmospheric influences. Frost is, of course, 
the greatest enemy ; but, in the absence of frost, I have 
known repeatedly Plums covered with blossom and yet 
set badly : this is at times unaccountable. Plums are 
sometimes barren through grossness, but root-pruning 
will speedily reduce this. Like the Apricot, the per¬ 
mitting of gross shoots to ramble unstopped is a sure 
source of barrenness. 
Tiie Peach and Nectarine.— It is very seldom that 
we have to charge these with being short of blossom; 
nevertheless, with some persons they produce but little 
superior fruit, which, indeed, is tantamount to barrenness. 
In very many cases the ripening of the wood (the import¬ 
ance of which has been kept in view since the very com¬ 
mencement of The Cottage G-aedener), is still but 
imperfectly carried out; and so long as this is the case, 
we shall hear of defective or ill-conditioned crops. 
The ravages of insects, too, are another source of 
barren trees. It is really of little use to suffer these pests 
to cripple or injure the early growths, and then in a rage 
at Midsummer to cleanse them. As to barrenness through 
ill-ripened wood, let any one carefully observe—as I have 
done for many years—the difference that exists in the 
blossoms of badly-ripened wood and the reverse. They 
will find the unripened blossoms with poor, lialf-abortive- 
looking stamens ; the pistil, instead of protruding boldly 
in free development, half concealed — unable to show its 
face. Such are the consequences of imperfect organi¬ 
sation and maturation. 
I may now offer a few general remarks before con¬ 
cluding a subject which, to handle thoroughly in all its 
bearings, would require a little book to itself. I would 
refer to seedling fruit trees, which, in general, it is well 
known, are long coming into bearing. A few remarks on 
this fact may prove interesting to ingenious young minds 
who very sensibly resolve to have a reason for every thing. 
We all krow what a long time it is before seedling 
fruit trees come into bearing. This, however, is not 
what we call barrenness ; but it is well for beginners to 
know that this period may be much lessened by certain 
operations. One of the most certain plans by which 
to hasten the blossoming of trees of most kinds is, first 
to grow them with great rapidity, and then to give them 
a sudden check. First, fill well the system of the tree 
—this may be termed a free dispersion of the sap ; then 
to take ail possible means to solidify the parts, called 
technically ripening the wood; and finally, by the root 
pruning, to boldly arrest the rapid growth, and thus to 
concentrate the powers of the tree within a limited 
compass. Pinching, in this case, is of high service as a 
move towards the concentration point, but cannot be had 
recourse to in the earliest stages of the plant’s growth. 
One of the most efficient modes to assist in carrying out 
the object is, grafting the young aspirant for future fame 
on the extreme boughs of an old, healthy, and fertile tree. 
Here the scion is placed in a position where the impulsive 
motion of the sap is highly moderated, and the scion 
necessarily partakes of the fruitful and matured character 
of portions at the extreme points. R . Ebeington. 
NETTING AS A PROTECTION FOR FRUIT 
BLOSSOM—POTATO CULTURE. 
“ In your number of the 12tli April your correspondent 
‘Uew'AEDS and Okwaeds’ recommended netting very strongly, 
which, I hope, protected his fruit on the night of the 31st of 
March and the 1st of April; for, if it have, I should feel obliged 
if lie would favour me with the result, as lie will have been more 
lucky than I or my neighbours. I have tried Shaw’s tiffany; 
and the result is—nearly all the fruit is cut off. Will you bo so 
kind as to inform me which is the best covering to protect tree's 
from frost ?”— Fruit. 
[What has once happened may happen again : therefore, since 
the late frosty ordeal, and also in reply to “ Fruit,” I find I 
must modify my recommendation as to placing the fullest reliance 
on netting as a fruit-blossom protector. And “ is there not a 
cause?” for, according to the Times' 1 meteorological observations, 
we have experienced the highest and lowest degrees of heat and 
cold ever known in the month of April. On the night of the 
31st of March (the date of my last writing), the young fruit and 
blossoms on my trees remained perfectly uninjured, as I antici¬ 
pated they would, under their canopy of snow. On the 1st of 
April the snow disappeared from off the nets, and I foresaw that 
we should have a severe frost at night: only as a point of honour, 
having written the day before to The Cottage Gardener in 
strict reliance upon that triple netting, I allowed it to remain 
unaltered ; but it would have been better if I had placed some 
Russian bast mats over the face of it for two or three nights after 
the 1st inst., as you will see in the sequel. 
Since I received “Fruit’s” letter I have given the protection 
question my attention in searching about among my neighbours 
as to their ways andhneaus of so doing, and I am now happily 
enabled to answer somewhat to the point. Thanks to the netting, 
as regards myself, I think I shall secure a good sprinkling ol 
Moorpark Apricots (the only sort I grow), on a bleak western 
aspect against an Oxfordshire stone wall. Without that pro¬ 
tection, I have no hesitation in saying, my crop would now bo 
non est. Even as it is, it is a diminishing crop; lor many of the 
fruit arc falling off in consequence of the continual cold weather. 
My Plums appear to have set well under the above shelter. 
As to my neighbours’ prospects. My first covered his trees 
with Fir-tree boughs: crop, nil. My second did not cover his 
trees at all: crop, nil. My third has an old tree on a southern 
aspect not covered. It is an early, hardy, smallish variety, culti¬ 
vated largely about here, and it has about half a crop. This 
feature I find general. Most of the trees of this sort, on a south 
aspect, have a limited supply; but the same sorts facing other 
points of the compass mostly nil. My fourth is most fortunate 
of all. A Moorpark tree, as my own, upon a west aspect, against 
a stone wall and unprotected, nil. Three trees against an excel¬ 
lent brick wall, south aspect, one of the common sort above, 
covered with threo thicknesses of netting : a good crop. One 
Moorpark , protected with netting, with Russian matting in 
addition, on the nights of the 31st of March and 1st and 2nd ol 
