PRUNING FRUIT TREES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1861, 22 July 1887, Page 8

PRUNING FRUIT TREES.

Apples and pears bear their f rmb on spurlike branches, which are named by gardeners fruit or blossom spurs. They are produced alike on the older and younger branches, but much more rarely on one-year-old branches than on those that are older. The pear frequently, and the apple occasionally in exceptionally good seasons, when the heat of autumn is great and prolonged, do produce spurs on the current year's shoots, which may yield blossom and fruit the following year ; but this is the exception rather than the rule. The apple when on the paradise stock and the pear when on the quince stock are prone also to produce blossom buds on one-year-old shoots ; but again this'may be said to be exceptional, inasmuch as it is tlie direct result of special and purely artificial conditions — the influence of these stocks being to dwarf or restrict the growth of the trees and throw them into a premature condition of fruitfulness. '

The object of the foregoing remarks is to direct the attention of amateurs to the sole object of pruning, which is to regulate the branches so that the blossom buds shall be freely and equally distributed over the whole structure of the tree. A maximum of light and air playing on tho foliage in every part of the trie is the most essential condition to the formation of these blossom spurs or buds, assuming the tree tn be in all other respects in a condition favourable to fruitfulness. Therefore the first consideration in pruning any fruit tree is to see that the branches do not crowd and shade each other. This consideration is obviously more imperative in the case of standard and bush trees than those that are trained against a wall or espalier, but it is of tho utmost importance to all. It is further of more importance to apple and pear trees than to stone fruits, such as the plum, which mostly produce their finest fruit on buds usually situated nearer the extremities of the branches, and. consequently more fully exposed to the in fluence of light and air.

In dealing -with old pears' and apples, the question as to whether a tree is too densely provided with branches is, at this season of the year, a difficult one to settle by the inexperienced eye ; and without having the tree before us it is even more difficult i'or iis to say whether it is so or not. All we can do, therefore, is to suggest a mode of proceeding. First, then, supposing you are about to prune a stand, or bush, or pyramid pear or apple tree, inspect it all round, aijid mark in your mind every branch that crosses other branches for removal. Consider well, however, before putting saw or knife to cither one or other so marked whether it can be spared, and what will be the actual result of its removal. With an ill-managed tree, whose branches have been allowed to ramb|le year after year in all directions, it is easy to fancy our tyro in pruning standing aghast 'at this suggestion. It means probably to him the complete destruction' of the tree ; but this is not what we wish. If it is in bad cases, it may require years to correot it ; and this is why we enjoin consideration before proceeding to cut away a single limb. In such a case do as much as may safely be done this season without administering' a shock to the tree or risking the chances of crop. Bemove one or more of the crossing branches, giving particular attention to those that cross from the' centre of the trees. By crossing is meant branches taking any direction other than a line radiating from the centre as nearly straight as may be in such a case like the spokes from the nave of a wheel. Such precision as this indicates is, it must at once be said, impracticable ; but the impracticable is sometimes the best ideal, and in this case we believe it to be so. At any rate it is desirable to, get as near it as possible ; therefore let the nave represent the centre of your tree, and the spokes the branches, and operate so as to produce a like balance and division of the space occupied by the spread of the latter. The removal of even one ill-placed branch will be a step in the right direction, and will open up the way for further improvement. Overcrowding to the exclusion of light and the prevention of a free circulation of air is the chief cause of unfruitfulness and unhealthiness in the majority of trees in those conditions in this country, and by judicious thinning out on the lines above suggested much improvement may be effected in time. It is not necessary — indeed it is not desirable — to adopt extreme measures ; but a beginning once made will, by its results, indioate in what direction and to. what extent the next step should extend.

In the case of young trees, supposing them to be standards and that they have been planted one year, assuming also that they were not pruned when planted, except perhaps' to the extent of cutting away badlyplaced and superfluous branches, which would be good practice, it will be found that they yet want very little of the knife, and the less the better. For here let us remark that the more we can, by summer management, do away with the necessity for heavy

and clumsy surgical operations in winter, the better it will be for our trees and for our

crops. Trees one year planted will want very little pruning the first winter, but they

must be looked over to prevent the first step in mismanagement being taken. The case

of one tree will do for a hundred.

inspection, then, it is found that any branch has made a wrong start — that is, if it. has taken a direction th.at would eventually bring it to cross another whose line is right — consider the" best way of correcting the fault, In a tree so young it may be done in two ways : either by training or cutting back. The former is the preferable way if it can' be done, and in nine cases out of

every 10 it can he so done, and With advantage every way. If ttie s&ddt bears? eitHer to the right or to the left beydnd the desired line it may be broxight back to the" right position by simply tying it for a season in the opposite direction. A stout' neighbouring 'shoot may be' taken advantage of for this purpose by tying the erring one to it; or, if such an auxiliary is not handy, a light' but strong stake may be attached to the tree in such a direction as to give the necessary obunt'eipoise to its erratic tendency. Should there be several refractory shoot's, it may be found the best course io affix a light hoop to the tree in such a way as to attain the object in view. Should cutting baclc'haW to be resorted to, then cut to a lateral bud that springs from the side of _the shoot opposite to'that to which it is wrongly inclined. The outgrowth of this bud will in all likelihood correct the fault the firstr season v after pruning, if not wholly, at least 'in part ; and the ' same' operation should be' performed, if necessary, at each successive winter's pruning till the tree is perfectly •formed. ' 1 The general treatment of the young growth on established trees, old or young, should be the same. It is the ' material provided by nature for the maintenance arid the regeneration of the tree, and before 1 cutting any of it away, the'pruner should assure himself well that it is not. wanted where it is placed. See first that there are no worn-out or badlyplaced fruiting spurs to replace ;' if so, remove them rather than 1 the young shoots. See also that the permanent limbs • or branches are all safe and sound before cutting away a young shoot well placed for filling up an anticipated gap. ' When these first necessities are provided for, you may then deal with the young growth that remains. Shoots that spring from bare parts that are unprovided with fruiting branches should always be retained and shortened back about a third or a half of their length, according to their strength, the weakest being shorLened the most. For the rest, if not required to fill up the structure of the tree in any other way that may suggest itself in the course of the work, it may be cut back to within two or three buds of the base ; or, if very crowded, they may, in moderate proportion, be cut right back to the junction with the old wood. — Leeds Mercury.

The New Zealand Country Journal for July contains a most interesting article on fruitgrowing for export. A feature of the portion devoted to apples and pears is a series of lists of trees most suitable for cultivation in different centres of the colony, supplied by experienced men in the various localities treated of. Messrs Nimmo and Blair and Gordon Bros, supply the list for the Otago district.

Two specimens of Garrya ellipfcica, one of the most beautiful of winter flowering shrubs, are at present in full bloom at Mr Matthews' nurseries, Mornington.