iSSi.] PINCHING— WHEN AND HOW TO DO IT. 375 



of fact, the best flowers are " not produced upon the terminal bud/' 

 and such random conjecture is very misleading, if not mischievous to 

 many. 



But some one may say. Where is your proof? Anticipating a 

 challenge upon the point, I will again revert to the plant having three 

 shoots, each of w^hich is pinched, and which in a short time pro- 

 duces three shoots each, or nine shoots in all. If these shoots are 

 not further stopped, a bud will form itself upon the point of each 

 shoot during the month of July. No notice should be taken of this 

 bud, and in a short time three more shoots will radiate from the base 

 of this bud, two of which should be removed by pressing them in a 

 slanting direction with the forefinger of the right hand, or what is 

 better, by using a small wooden peg, something of the size and form 

 of a lead pencil, made soft at the point by squeezing it between the 

 teeth. By this simple process the vigour that would naturally be 

 equally divided into three shoots is retained in one, and the flower 

 produced upon such a shoot will be perfect in form (globe-like), having 

 fine broad petals, rich in colour, and of fine substance. The plant 

 grows on with increased vigour until the early part of the month of 

 August, when another bud will appear upon the point of each shoot, 

 and these are the buds that produce the fine flowers — not the "terminal 

 buds" of the writer before referred to, whose flowers were so hand- 

 some last wdnter, and who had a crop of lateral flowers into the 

 bargain ! 



A common error with cultivators is to pinch back into the hard 

 wood, instead of merely " rubbing off the point of the shoot," which 

 is the proper way to do in all cases of pinching. Again, in the case 

 of Vines or other fruit-trees, pinching is a very important operation. 

 Let us look at the result pinching produces upon the Vine. Plant 

 two Vines, and grow both upon the single-rod system until the canes 

 have reached the length of from 9 to 12 feet ; then stop one and let 

 the other grow on, and note the result. No. 2 extends in length, 

 while No. 1 increases in thickness ; in other words, the result 

 of pinching in this case is to localise or concentrate vigour. I sup- 

 pose it is hardly necessary to remark that, when a Vine is pinched 

 the extremity of the shoot only should be removed, and the lateral 

 growth should be pinched out from the side of the first bud next to 

 where the Vine has been stopped. In the case of Peach-trees, pinch- 

 ing should be done when the shoot has grown 2 or 3 inches in length. 

 A shoot may be pinched because it is too strong, or because additional 

 shoots are required to fill up vacant spaces in the tree ; but in any 

 case the operation must be performed shortly after the tree has 

 started into growth, or the result will be immature wood and scanty 

 crops. 



I have seen Peach-trees converted from their natural habit of 

 growth into myriads of fruiting spurs, by judicious pinching and 



