Pruning for Fruit

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 144, 2 June 1892, Page 4

Pruning for Fruit

♦— - — It is never 'wise, to let trees bea? fruit while still quite youDg, and should they flower and fruit, then the fruit should be taken off before it gains any size. But it sometimes happens that the reverse of this is the case,* and trees which are well grown and should bear fruit do not do so. It is then that the skill of the frnit-grower conies into play, and he nse his art, and prunes for fruit. Pruning 1 may be of the brancdes or of the roots, and both may be done to produce fruit. It must be understood that when a tree is growing fast it will not fruit. To check the growth is a step towards fruiting, and this is what pruning is for. A tree in rich ground will grow larger and be longer. coming into bearing than one in poor soil. This is why, with the same variety of tree, one man may have, fruit from his tree long before his neighbour does—the soil differs in richness, 'i here is no use in waiting a long time after for a tree to bear/ any more than there is to have one bear too early. Keeping in mind that a too fast growing tree must be checked in its growth to make it fruitful, root pruning is the thing to do to accomplish it. The earth should be dug away until some of the larger roots are exposed, and these should be chopped away. There is no need to check it too severely, as a loss of a large portion of its roots would do. A cutting away of one-fourtii will probably be ample. This process rarely fails to cause flower buds to form. If done in spring, or summer, buds will form for the next season. Sonietimes summer pruning of the branches will have the same effect. The cutting off of the ends of growing shoots is done while the sap is still active and where cut, flower buds will often form. This way will do where some fruit is looked for to test a sort, but it is, sometimes, at the expense of the shape of the tree, and is not to be recommended as so good a way as that of root pruning.