i88i.] HINTS FOR AMATEURS. 113 



fourteen to twenty-eight) in his borders, of individual kinds, because his 

 soil suits them better than others. The ground is light and sandy ; and 

 to meet the difficulty, he lifts carefully and mulches till his trees are a 

 mass of fibres, and then he troubles himself little in regard to seasons 

 being cold, wet, or dry. Certainly his pyramids were as near perfec- 

 tion as may be met with. Apricots and Peaches he troubles little 

 with, as these (we often have noted) fail with all the skill and man- 

 ipulation experience can devise ; and they seldom can be grown for 

 profit where good suitable soil is not procurable. When the young trees 

 are about to be trained, decide on the system : we have used many 

 systems in years gone by, but probably fan-training is the best on 

 walls. The side shoots should be kept down to the level desired, the 

 centre ones cut back more or less, and all should be regulated to form 

 three-fourths of a circle. Each shoot should be equidistant to begin 

 with : the minor, or fruit-bearing wood, will be easily put in its place. 

 I have long since abandoned the practice of much " cutting back." 

 I often lay in full length the shoots as they come from the nurs- 

 ery, especially with Peaches and Apricots. Morello Cherries also do 

 well almost uncut in winter pruning. In every case, for forming hand- 

 some trees, we prefer " maidens," and then there is comparatively little 

 danger from canker. Trees with snags are abominable ; and we lately 

 saw some trees in beautiful form almost ruined by cutting high above 

 the wood-buds, leaving pieces to die off. 



Horizontal training answers capitally for every kind of fruit we 

 know : Pears, Plums, Peaches, and Apricots we have trained in this 

 form with the view of reducing labour. Upright training is most 

 easily accomplished by taking a shoot, straight right and left at proper 

 distance above the ground (say a foot to 15 inches), and rub off all buds 

 except those which are best placed and nearest to equal distance from 

 each other. They can be led upright as straight as the use of rod or 

 line can direct their course. Many trees may be seen every year vigor- 

 ous, and plenty of fruit on them, when no such pains are expended on 

 them, — precisely just as seed will vegetate in crooked drills, or no 

 drills at all, and come to perfection as well as if the lines had been 

 straight and equidistant ; but for all that, the man of taste will have 

 his seed-lines straight, and his trees as straight as gun-barrels, — and 

 thus trained, with fruit-buds from base to apex, who would say that 

 such work would not give pleasure 1 We know it does to many ama- 

 teurs, and the correspondence we have on such matters with men who 

 are hundreds of miles apart justifies our assertion. I wish all prac- 

 tical men could do as they would in such matters. 



Whatever remains unfinished, as formerly advised, we would urge 

 the propriety of bringing to a close. Staking will require attention, 

 as many will have experienced from the terrific gales which have 

 visited us during the past season. Protection, whether by nets, 

 wood or glass copings, or branches, should now be in position : keep- 



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