220 THE GARDENER. [May 



full consideration, especially where insects take up their summer 

 quarters. These pests should have "prevention" in practice against them 

 previous to the fruit-buds opening. The wall trees, or trees in orchards, 

 <fcc, if they can be managed so, may be gone over with a liquid, such 

 as Gishurst's compound, which is known to be destructive to them, and 

 which should be syringed lightly over the surfaces. Walls that have 

 long been subject to the barbarous method of " nailing ; ' and " unnail- 

 ing " are always good retreats for insect life, and they ought to have 

 extra attention in keeping vermin from increasing in them. Soft soap 

 (about half-a-pound or so to a gallon of water), with a quantity of 

 tobacco juice to well colour it, will keep them in check, but it must 

 be used as a " preventive," as, when the black or green aphis get into 

 the developing foliage, they are soon shielded from all washes and liquid 

 poisons, and remain curled up in the leaves till their work of destruc- 

 tion is completed. Newly-planted trees should be secure against wind 

 and drought. Mulching, if not attended to before, should be done with- 

 out delay. Watering may be necessary on dry sandy soils and in dry 

 positions, but the practice is not to be put in force when it can be 

 avoided. Pond water, or that which has been exposed to sun and air, 

 should be used when it can be had. For appearance' sake a little clean 

 soil may be thrown over mulching, leaving the surface somewhat flat 

 to receive rain. 



Disbudding may now require careful attention. The system of doing- 

 it all at once and "done with it " is worse than not doing it at all, espe- 

 cially if the weather should be warm during the day and followed by 

 frost or cold winds at night : fruit and trees suffer alike under such bar- 

 barous treatment. Apples, as dwarfs or espaliers, may be gone over, 

 and any shoots taking the lead, at same time robbing other parts of the 

 tree, may be nipped back or rubbed off. The newly-planted trees are 

 better in every way when their growths are regulated in summer and 

 the future main shoots decided on. Quantity of shoots is not the point 

 to be aimed at, but those well placed at equal distances from each 

 other, and plenty of room to develop the foliage and allow the fruits 

 to have sun and air. To have finely-trained espalier Apples the shoots 

 should be trained as they grow, securing those best placed, keeping 

 them straight and equal in distance from each other. The same applies 

 to Pears ; those on walls require very frequent attention. If the lower 

 buds are suffering from the advantage taken by the " leaders," the latter 

 ought to be stopped so that the former may improve themselves. 

 Branches trained too thickly, spurs allowed to become matted and 

 densely crowded, are common evils among Pears, and the trees thus cast 

 their fruit-buds or refuse to swell fruit if they should set. Apricots 

 will now be swelling where they have set freely, and careful disbud- 

 ding of the trees is necessary, so that the fruit may not be unduly ex- 

 posed to the inclemency of the weather. Much severe frost, hail, and 

 cold rains may be experienced during May. Commence by rubbing off 



