January 19, 1907. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
43 
SOME LESSONS IN 
PRUNING. 
(Concluded. 
5 
Espaliers are generally grown on a 
u\ or fence made for the purpose, and 
onsist of a central stem with side h ori¬ 
ental branches, each being about a foot 
part. This form of culture is both very 
eat and has its advantages also, as being 
o well exposed on all sides to sun and air 
each should be pinched beyond the fifth 
leaf (see diagram 4), and cut away bodily 
at the \vinter pruning, unless it be required 
for filling up a blank space in the tree. 
Overcrowding the branches is the 
worst possible evil, and although one may 
get more fruit for a season or two, it will 
jood crops may be looked for. A well- 
;rainecl tree should not have more than 
eight horizontal branches, four on each 
side, and these being a foot apart will 
make the height of the tree about five 
feet. Details of pruning are on' similar 
lines to the others, but care must be exerl 
cised in training a young tree as the top¬ 
most horizontals invariably draw the most 
sap. This, of course, induces them to 
grow longer than the lower ones, and must 
be avoided, otherwise the shape of the 
tree will be spoiled at the outset. To 
prevent this occurring the lower horizon¬ 
tals should be turned upwards at the ex¬ 
tremity of the branch, and the other vice 
versa (see diagram 3). 
As the sap has always an upward ten¬ 
dency, and does not readily go down¬ 
wards the advantage of the turned shoots 
is obvious. It is important in pruning 
fruit trees that all useless wood he cut 
out entirely, quite close to the main 
branch. 
Laterals, that is, small summer shoots, 
must not be cut out at that season, but 
be at the expense of future crops. It is 
better to have half a dozen well-shaped 
sizeable fruits than a basketful of inferior 
quality. 
Pears, as standards, should be treated 
4. Pinching lateral shoot. 
will require cutting back each season to 
induce the formation of sufficient side 
growth, likewise all strong shoots should 
be suppressed, the object of the cultivator 
being to keep the tree well balanced and 
shapely in its early stages. Espalier train¬ 
ing for Pears is a mode that can be well 
recommended for one or two reasons. It is 
more simple to train a tree thus than one 
on the “ bush ” principle, and again the 
crop seems to perfect much better than 
those on the standard or bush. 
A fruiting spur (see diagram 5) every 
inches is quite ample, and any 
which come between should be 
pinched during summer and cut clean 
out at the winter pruning. It often hap¬ 
pens that a tree makes splendid grow'ths, 
but barren buds and, of course, no fruit. 
Y\ hen this happens root pruning must be 
resorted to, that is if the tree be of large 
dimensions. If a young tree is the aggres¬ 
sor, the best plan is to transplant same in 
the autumn to fresh quarters, and if the 
roots are long and straggling, the 
strongest may be shortened back two- 
thirds, but it is not advisable to do this if 
manv fibrous roots have to be sacrificed. 
eight 
growths 
on similar lines to the Apple under this 
head, but the pyramidal form is more 
often seen in the gardens of the amateur. 
If trees are purchased young, say two to 
three years old, the central stem or leader 
Dealing with an old tree is more difficult, 
and in the first place a trench must be 
opened three feet from the trunk all round 
wfith a sharp axe all 
met wfith. If a “tap” root, 
through 
j. Encouraging sa-p in lower , retarding same in uppc y branches. 
