THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



199 



upwards. If cut away in July the 

 sears will lieal over before winter, and 

 tlie leading branches, which, are to 

 form the head, will ripen more effec- 

 tually. In selecting dwarfs, espaliers, 

 and bushes, Doucin stocks are always 

 preferable, as the trees upon them are 

 less rampant in their growth, begin to 

 fruit earlier, and bear frequent litting 

 better to subdue the growth and pro- 

 mote fruitfulness. Those who wish 

 to grow very large apples should give 

 the preference to dwarfs on crab 

 stocks, which will extend to a vast 

 circumference if allowed plenty of 

 room, and the fruit will be less likely 

 to be blown down by high winds. 

 Though grafting is the mode of isro- 

 pagation generally adopted at the 

 nurseries, it is pi'obable that budded 

 trees are the best in the end, and the 

 amateur who turns his hand to the 

 raising of apple-trees cannot do better 

 than give a preference to budding over 

 grafting. 



Planting. — The numbers and sorts 

 to be planted should be determined 

 early, so that the trees may be got 

 home from the nurseiy rather before 

 the leaves have wholly fallen than 

 after that has happened. Early plant- 

 ing is of the utmost importance, as 

 the trees will make fresh root long 

 before winter sets in, and if furnished 

 with a few fruit spurs, they may give 

 a small crop of fruit the next season, 

 which is impossible if the planting be 

 deferred till after winter has set in. 

 The soil in which the apple thrives 

 best is a deep sound adhesive loam, 

 with a dry subsoil. In any case the 

 soil must be well drained and deeply 

 worked before planting. A hungry 

 peat may be made fit for the apple by 

 the libei'al admixture with it of marl, 

 sand, and manure ; a similar dressing- 

 will improve barren sandy soils for 

 the purpose, but instead of adding 

 sand clay would be preferable, espe- 

 cially if dug the previous winter and 

 exposed in ridges to the weather for 

 twelve months previou-sly. But the 

 u<e of manure is always to be avoided 

 if possible, and in any good soil that 

 will produce a cabbage the apple will 

 thrive better v.ithout manure than 

 with ifc. Where the planter suspects 

 or knows that the subsoil is gravel or 



cold clay, it will repay the extra ex- 

 pense to make a station for each tree 

 by laying down a pavement of old 

 bricks' and other hard rubbish, to be 

 well rammed in and grouted with 

 some cheap cement. This should be 

 at three feet deep and six feet 

 square for each tree, unless the soil is 

 excessively wet, in which case one 

 foot depth of soil is sufficient, and 

 when trodden firm the roots of the 

 tree are to spread out on the level, 

 and covered with twelve or eighteen 

 inches of soil so as to make for each 

 a hillock. Whichever plan be adopted 

 the tree must not be placed in the soil 

 deeper than it was originally ; indeed, 

 if it has evidently been planted too 

 deep, it may be more elevated in its 

 new position, as it is impossible for it 

 to prosper if the roots are bui-ied 

 deeply and any portion of the stem 

 which should be exposed to the air is 

 hidden in the soil. On all good soils 

 of firm texture, trench, level, and plant 

 with as little injury to the roots as 

 possible and be sure to cut clean 

 away any damaged roots, tread firm 

 and'stake at once ; if the tree rocks in 

 the wind it can never get a firm hold 

 of the ground or maintain an upright 

 position. 



Standards. — Three or four strong 

 leading branches are quite sufficient 

 to form the heads of standards ; they 

 should be symmetrically placed and 

 pretty equal in strength, and all in- 

 termediate spray shovdd be removed. 

 Generally when received from the 

 nurseries the shape of the head is 

 already determined. As a rule, the 

 less priming standards have the better, 

 the knife should be used only to cut 

 away gross ill-placed shoots, late 

 growths of a green watery nature, 

 and side-branches that cross each 

 other or that take the lead to the 

 weakening of the other parts of the 

 tree. Varieties of pendant habit may 

 be improved in their style of growth 

 by being headed down when well es- 

 tablished in the ground, and this is to 

 be done by shortening the branches 

 back to nine or twelve inches long. 



Dwarfs. — These maybe considered 

 to include half-standards, pyramids, 

 and bushes. They should be on 

 Doucin stocks, and their growth should 



