POMACES. X, Pyrus. 



643 



to be chosen from young wood of horizontal or oblique branches, Being here properly protected from cattle and hares, they may 



rather than from upright ones ; from six to eight inches or more remain till they become large enough to be planted out, the 



in length, with a small portion of old wood at the lower end, ground being regularly worked and kept free from weeds. Rev. 



Cutoff the tip of the shoot, and all the buds, excepting two or J. Venables (Hort. soc. trans, vol. 1. ser. 2. p. 39.) has never 



three next the tip or upper extremity ; then smooth the sections found a satisfactory reason why the pips of the best apples should 



at the lower end, and insert three or four inches in sandy produce most frequently trees little better than the crab, while 



other products of our gardens are not deteriorated from the parent 



stock. It would seem that much of the peculiar flavour of fruit 



early in February, and the glass should not be touched, except- depends upon the leaf, and whatever determines the first organi- 



ing io give water, till the shoots have sprung an inch or two. zation of this member of the tree, must have considerable in- 



loam, pressing the earth firmly to them, watering and covering 

 them with a hand-glass. The proper time for this operation is 



Shade during the mid-day sun, and begin to harden by giving 

 air in July ; finally, remove the glass in August, and in October 



fluence on its produce. In the growth of those seeds furnished 



^ ^ . with albumen, the albumen is converted into a substance resem- 



transplant to nursery rows, or in pots according to future inten- bling sugar, and this saccharine material affords the first nourisii- 



tion. With the Burknott all that is necessary is to plant the 

 cuttings in a shady border, and treat them like those of the 

 gooseberry or currant. 



Btj layers. — The success of this mode of propagation may be the source from w^hich this deficiency is to be supplied. It was 



ment to the growing plant, and supports it till the radicles spread 

 and are enabled to draw a supply of aliment from the earth ; but 



as the apple pip is destitute of albumen, we may easily di; 



considered as certain ; but it has nothing peculiar in its applica- 

 tion to the apple. The after treatment of the plants is the 



evidently intended that the apple itself decaying on the ground, 

 and enriching the soil around the pips with its saccharine juices, 



same with tliat for those originated by the following or fore- should supply the young tree with its earliest nutriment. When, 

 going modes. therefore, we separate the pips from the apple for the purpose 



By suckers. — This mode is generally confined to the Paradise of sowing, we deprive the seedling of a material part of its ap- 



and creeping apple for stocks. 



• % g^^fii^g and inoculation. — This may be said to be the 

 Miversal practice in propagating the apple. The first consi- 

 deration is the choice of stocks ; of these there are five sorts in 

 common use ; — seedling apples^ used for full standards and 

 nders or wall standards : seedlinp^ crabs, for standards and half 



propriate nourishment, and consequently raise a tree in no way 

 resembling the qualities of its parent. We have no account of 

 the manner in which thehest apples and pears were raised in the 

 15th and 17th centuries, and possibly the best fruits of those 

 days may have been a selection from numbers raised of an in- 

 ferior quality. It is probable that we owe some of our best 



standards ; codling apples, from layers or cuttings for dwarfs fruits more to the undisturbed production of nature than to the 



^d espaliers : ParndixR nv^nfpft fmm lavprs: nr puftfncrs for low nnerations of art. An annle has fallen from some tree, and lain 



^d espaliers ; Paradise apples, from layers or cuttings for low 

 dwarfs and trained trees ; creeper appiles, from layers or cuttings 



for the best dwarfs or bushes. 



of 



unobserved, the fruit has decayed on the spot, and enriched the 



ground ; and, from the soil thus peculiarly prepared by nature. 



The seeds should be selected from has sprung up a tree, whose produce has proved of peculiar excel- 



Ae fruit of vigorous growing young or middle-aged healthy lence and flavour. According to the above theory, apples slioukl be 

 l^ees; but when wanted in larger quantities they are procured sown instead of pips, or pips of one sort introduced into the fruit 

 trom cider makers ; private propagators will adopt the first 



ynode. The sowing and after treatment is the same as for seed^ 

 M»g crabs. 



Seedling crabs. 



M 



of another, and then sown, or the ground manured with rotten 

 apples. The seedling from this mode of sowing will be more 

 likely to produce fruit of superior flavour than by sowing the 

 pips alone. 



those produced from the apjjle. The offspring of some varieties 

 01 the craby particularly of those introduced from Siberia, vege- 



generally and justly been given to apple stocks raised from seed Codling slocks are raised chiefly from layers, which at the end 



of the native kind or crab, as being more hardy and durable than of the season are taken off and planted in nursery rows, 2 feet 

 tnosp nrr^^.,^^,1 r .1.. »_ rm._ .ix>. — .' r :^.;«„ between the rows, and 1 foot from plant to plant. 



. o Paradise stocks, or as they are called by the French, Doucin 



tate much earlier in the spring than other trees of the same 5<ocZ:5, are raised from either layers or suckers ; and stocks raised 

 genus; and hence the inexperienced planter will probably be led 

 w suppose that such stocks would accelerate the vegetation of 

 other varieties in the spring, and tend to produce an early ma- 

 turity of the fruit in autumn. In this, however, he will be dis- 

 appointed. 



from creeping apples, so named from their aptitude to throw out 

 suckers, or the Dutch Paradise, chiefly from the latter mode. 

 They may be planted in nursery rows, somewhat closer than the 



_ _^ ^ ___ codling stocks. 



The office of the stock Is, in every sense of the AH stocks require to stand in the nursery till they are from 



)^ord, subservient, and it acts only in obedience to the impulse half an inch to an inch thick at the height at which they are to 



't reepivcQ A.«™ ^i-- i i ^u- i— i:i.:«« *l,«-«r^.-/^ V»o rYrortorl • ^imh nc nrr* infpndpd for full standards or ridnrs 



>t receives from the branches ; the only qualities, therefore, be grafted ; such as are intended for full standards or riders 

 ^h>ch are wanting to form a perfect stock are vigour and hardi- will, in general, require to grow three or four years before they 



ness." 



iperation 



;7il 



, and 



those for dwarfs one year. The ground between them must be 

 kept clear of weeds, and stirred every winter ; the side shoots 

 of the plants, at least to the height at which they are intended 



Seed sowing and culture. — In collecting the seeds to sow, it 

 ^usi be remembered that the habits, as well as the diseases, of 

 plants are often hereditary, and attention should be paid to the 

 *tate of the tree from which seeds are taken ; it should be large 

 ^a of free growth, and rather in a growing state than one of 

 Jjaturity or decay. The crab trees, which stand in cultivated 

 pounds, generally grow more freely, and attain a larger stature 



r^^ those in hedges or woods, and therefore appear to claim ^ , _ 



Reference. The seed should be taken from the fruit before it ever, is gained by this practice, as such plants require to stand 



to be grafted, rubbed off as they appear, and all suckers care- 

 fully removed. Where budding is adopted, the stocks may be 

 worked at nearly half the diameter of stem requisite for graft- 

 ing; and stocks for dwarfs, planted in autumn or spring, may 

 be inoculated the succeeding summer. No great advantage, how- 



good 



shoots. 



another year before they have prod 



7/ the 



ap 



^'Stance from each other/and 18 inches between each plant, pearstohavealwaysprevailedrespectingthequalityofthesoilpro- 



4 n2 



