March  24.  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTTCULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
2G3 
THE  SCIENCE  AND  PRACTICE  OF  FORMINCI 
FRUIT  TREES. 
Results  of  Pruning. 
On  page  207  (March  10th)  was  shown  the  method  of  pruningby  which 
me  long  and  strong  shoots  are  shortened,  the  short  and  weak  retained. 
The  results  of  such  practice  I  now  endeavour  to  depict  and  describe. 
The  shortening  was  moderate.  The  topmost  buds  push  the  more 
strongly,  as  shown  at  J  (fig.  55),  and  the  others  in  degrees  of  vigour  down¬ 
wards  to  the  base,  most,  if  not  all  the  buds  starting.  This  is  a  matter  of 
consequence,  as  the  shoots  (m)  are  required  for  forming  permanent 
branches,  and  the  side  growths  (r)  for  spurs  to  yield  fruit.  (See  the 
figure  first  referred  to,  March  10th).  The  short  shoots  also  produce  some 
grcwths,  but  more  particularly  a  number  of  leaves,  which  aid  in  the 
elaboration  and  storing  of  nutrient  matter.  The  young  extensions  are 
not  hampered  by  these  growths,  but'  receive  a  full  measure  of  light 
they  become  sturdy  and  well  matured  (m>,  in  the  pre¬ 
sent  illustration),  and  ,even  the  shoots  below  them  are  in  good  trim  (a;), 
The  principles  apply  to  the  pyramid  (l),  this  only  requiring  the  shoots 
shortened  in  July,  if  growing  too  freely,  and  keeping  the  growths 
sufficiently  far  apart  to  permit  the  sun  to  shine  in  between  the  branches. 
The  shoots  can  be  shortened  in  the  spring  as  may  be  desired  for  forming 
additional  branches  ;  or  when  ample  and  not  unevenly  balanced,  leaving 
the  extensions  intact.  Shortening,  however,  will  mostly  be  required  in 
the  early  years  after  planting,  but  too  much  shortening  is  a  very  common 
error,  as  resulting  in  useless  annual  wood  growth  instead  of  the  pro¬ 
duction  of  natural  spurs  and  fruit. 
The  result  of  hard  pruning  all  the  shoots  (page  246,  March  17th),  is 
shown  in  the  tree  M.  Each  strong  shoot  cut  hard  back  has  started 
every  bud,  and  a  number  of  shoots  (n)  is  the  consequence,  the  longest 
at  the  top  and  shortest  at  the  base.  The  extremity  shoots  (6)  take  and 
maintain  the  lead,  whilst  the  others  cut  back  to  one  bud  have  pushed 
relatively  strong  growths  (c).  Thus,  in  the  autumn,  there  are  a  number  of 
shoots  (d)  that  are  not  required,  and  must  be  cut  back  to  a  couple  of 
buds,  unless  this  has  been  attended  to  in  July  by  pinching  them  to  the 
third  leaf,  and  subsequently.  If  left,  there  is  no  reason  why  they 
Fig.  55. — Results  of  Pruning  Young  Trees. 
References. — Tree  I— Strong  .slioot.s  shortened  and  w'eak  retained  (page  207) ;  re.snlts  (above) — w,  leafless  strong  shoots  showing  points  of  shortening  ;  x,  leafle.ss  .short 
growths  ;  y,  spur  in  fruit.  J,  shortened  shoot,  shownug  rate  of  pushed  growths.  K,  leafless  shortened  shoot  with  pruning  marks  ;  z,  spurs ;  a,  root 
formation.  L,  pyramid  part  in  leaf  and  part  leafless,  indicating  shortening.  Tree  — the  result  of  all  shoots  cut  Iiack  ;  h,  extension  shoots  in  leaf  ; 
c,  growths  from  cut  hack  short  shoots ;  d,  the  same,  leafles.?,  marked  for  pruning  ;  e,  leafless  extensions  marked  for  shortening.  N,  growths  from  cut 
hard-back  shoot,  showing  starting  of  buds  to  the  base.  O,  leafless  shoots  after  cutting  hard  back  with  mark  for  i)runing  ;  el,  root  formation. 
so  that  they  may,  if  considered  advisable,  be  left  as  may  be  needed  for 
furnishing  the  tree.  They  have,  however,  done  what  was  mainly  required  of 
them — namely,  the  speedy  re-establishment  of  the  tree,  and  ma3’  there¬ 
fore  be  partly  or  wholly  cut  away.  This  thinning  and  shortening  is  best 
done  in  the  summer,  say  about  the  middle  of  .July.  It  can,  however, 
be  left  undone  until  the  tree  is  leafless,  then  operating  as 
shown  in  the  leafless  branch  (k),  always  leaving  the  short  stubby  shoots 
or  spurs  (F)  intact.  The  shortening  of  the  extensions,  as  indicated  by 
the  bars  in  K,  can  be  deferred  until  spring,  so  that  we  get  more  roots  than 
top  growth,  and  this  of  a  very  fibrous  character  (a). 
In  the  way  described  the  tree  can  be  treated  year  after  year  until  as 
many  branches  are  had  as  desired,  always  keef)ing  those  of  berry  fruits 
at  least  9  inches  asunder,  and  those  of  Apple,  Pear,  and  stone  fruits 
between  1  and  2  feet.  There  must  l)e  no  crossed  branches  to  prevent  the 
sun  shining  right  into  the  centre,  as  we  wish  to  secure  a  large  fruit- 
bearing  area,  and  to  have  the  fruit  even  in  size  and  colour.  Nothing 
could  possibly  be  simpler  than  the  formation  of  the  bush  or  standard  tree 
on  the  lines  suggested,  w  hich  is  that  of  the  modern  system  of  fruit  growing, 
as  distinguished  from  the  cut-into-form  method,  regardle.s8  of  the  pro¬ 
duction  of  fruit. 
should  not  be  cut  away  in  the  early  autumn,  and  then  the  movements  of 
the  juices  will  be  free  to  act  on  the  extensions.  One  result  of  the  “cut-all- 
shoots-back”  method  is  that  a  certain  break  is  secured  if  there  be  sufficient 
vigour  in  the  tree,  every  bud  starting  from  the  pruning  bud  of  the  shoot 
down  to  the  base  as  shown  at  0.  The  tree  thus  made  to  produce  wood 
has  correspondingly  fewer,  but  stronger  roots,  the  generality  being 
relatively  long,  and  according  with  the  character  of  the  shoots. 
The  close  pruning  will  not  give  strong  and  long  shoots  on  a  hard  soil, 
for  the  roots  will  then  be  much  branched  or  fibrous  in  proportion  to  the 
resistance  encountered.  Such  trifles  iqiset  all  the  calculations  of  the 
physiologist,  and  the  hard-pruned  tree  may  produce  short-jointed  wood 
and  plenty  of  fine  fruit,  whilst  another  tree  in  a  looser  and  richer 
medium,  pruned  in  exactly'  the  same  way,  produces  nothing  but  wood  and 
leaves,  the  whole  difference  being  in  the  soil  staple.  Still,  soil  conditions*^ 
being  the  same,  moderate  shortening  and  some  spurs  mean  a  fair  pro¬ 
portion  of  extension  roots  with  an  equall}^  due  measure  of  fibres, 
whilst  close  pruning  implies  a  laiger  number  of  extension  roots  than 
the  fibres,  as  indicated  at  e  1. — G.  Abbey. 
(To  be  oontinueib) 
