312 THE GARDENER. [July- 



ping the point of each in a shallow vessel of tobacco- water : tobacco-powder 

 and soft-soap, or Gishurst Compound, are equally as good. Examine them in a 

 day or two, and repeat the operation if life is left in any of the pests. Where 

 trees are of full size, and little growth is required, there is not much difficulty in 

 securing clean, healthy foliage. The tops, which are generally attacked, alone 

 can be nipped off. This applies to all trees which do well with spurring; and 

 I do not know any which fail by this practice, as when one batch of blossoms- 

 may be cut off by severity of weather, there are generally plenty to succeed 

 them. Apples are often attacked by green-fly and American bug. The curl- 

 ing up of the leaves with the former renders their destruction almost impos- 

 sible. Young trees suffer most from this pest ; and where it can be done, 

 hand-picking off the tops which are infested, and afterwards applying the 

 engine with tobacco -water, and washing with clean water, seems the only 

 method of eradicating the vermin. The white American bug, now so common, 

 defies nearly every application while the trees are in foliage. Those which 

 were washed with brine during the winter, and afterwards coated with a paint 

 made with lime, soot, soft-soap, and sulphur, suffer but little during the grow- 

 ing season. When these remedies are well followed up, the pest becomes 

 stamped out in time. Apricots are subject to a kind of grub which curl them- 

 selves up in the young tops of the leaves, and nothing short of hand-picking 

 that we have seen can reach them. The shoots should be kept thin, so that 

 when the necessary wood for next season's crops is tied in, all the foliage and! 

 fruit may have the benefit of sun and air. Those who work on the spur 

 system entirely must keep this same important matter in mind. Spurs can 

 be kept as close to the walls as young shoots. Choose those next to the walls ; 

 keep them there. The same applies to Plums. Though plenty of fruit may be 

 had on out-growing shoots, the appearance of rough spurs is objectionable, 

 and in time the tree gets out of bearing and health. Continued stopping of 

 gross wood which is monopolising the energies of the trees should be attended 

 to. Most cultivators recognise the advantages of attention during the growing 

 season, though all cannot find time to do the work. Pears are by some de- 

 nuded of their growths as they grow, but we think this is opposing nature 

 instead of assisting her ; and to do justice to tree and fruit alike, we prefer 

 going over the trees at different periods, taking off a portion of wood, always 

 the strongest growths first. Early attention to training out the leading shoots 

 must not be forgotten, as they are very liable to get broken. Old trees bear- 

 ing well, and making little or no growth, may be materially assisted by appli- 

 cations of guano-water or liquid manure from the stable or cow-yard. Peaches' 

 and Nectarines require attention often, so that they do not become matted in 

 their growth. The shoots should be kept very thin, and the trees syringed 

 with tobacco powder water : if there are no vermin, the syringing is a good 

 preventive. It may be premature to do much thinning of fruit, but where 

 they are very thickly set in clusters, it is no guarantee of safety to leave them 

 to destroy each other. Leave the fruit always which are best exposed to sun 

 and air. The largest and best-formed fruit in early stages are generally the 

 best when ripe. Strawberries are always a temptation to birds, and netting 

 them is the only safe remedy. The netting of all bush fruits and trees on* 

 walls, such as Cherries, must not be overlooked. Delays in such cases are 

 dangerous. 



M. T.. 



