S40 



THE QARDENER'8 MONTHLY 



\^ August, 



should be disturbed between raspberries and 

 blackberries as little as possible. Their little 

 roots are all on the surface. They have no deep 

 roots, and so are very liable to injury by the 

 process erroneously termed "cultivating." Every 

 one will tell you that the raspberry soon " runs 

 out;" nobody knows the rea.son. The new seed- 

 ling comes out, and it is hartly enough. But in 

 a few years it gets leaf blight, and then Winter 

 kills. It is the injury to the roots that brings 

 about all this. 



In earlier hints for this department we have 

 written of the importance of pinching off any 

 strong shoots that may appear at the top of 

 3'oung fruit trees, and which if left would render 

 the weaker ones at the base still weaker. Since 

 that early i)inching, in very vigorous trees, 

 a new crop of strong young shoots may have ap- 

 peared at the top of the tree, which should again 

 be taken off, and the lower branches will be 

 much benefited thereby. 



This matter of pinching out strong growing 

 shoots to strengthen those which we wish to be- 

 come strong, is an essential point with those 

 who require handsome shaped trees, and is of 

 course applied in the infancy of the trees, when 

 many hundreds may be gone over in a day. It 

 would be a great expense, besides unnecessary 

 with these objects in view, to go over a large 

 orchard and pinch out the shoots. These re- 

 marks apply to the grape vine, as well as to the 

 pear, and indeed, to all kinds of fruit trees. 



In the vinery many parties commence to force 

 gi-apes at the end of this month, but those who 

 attempt this branch of the gardening art are 

 already so well skilled in its details as to derive 

 little advantage from any hints we could offer 

 here. In the cold vinery, the vines will now be 

 ripening their crops, and will require little atten- 

 tion beyond stopping laterals, and as much as 

 possible destroying insects that may endanger 

 the health of the foliage. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Wearing out of Varieties of Apples. — The 

 Apple does not seem inclined to run out, not- 

 withstanding the prophecies made about varie- 

 ties fifty years ago. An English clergyman of 

 Herefordshire says :— " One of the earliest his- 

 toric Apples is the Pomeroy or King's Apple. 



This Apple is of extreme antiquity, very little be- 

 ing known of its early history. In Hogg's ' Fruit 

 Manual ' (a work most judiciously added by Dr. 

 Bull to the Free Library), and from whose de- 

 scriptions I have largely borrowed, two distinct 

 varieties are mentioned in use nearly at the 

 same time, but differing altogether in shape, fla- 

 vor, quality, and color of flesh. I take particu- 

 lar interest in this old and highly valuable va- 

 riety, because in my parish we have three or 

 more very old trees still flourishing, and I was 

 glad to see this Apple shown from many parts 

 at our late exhibition." 



Scion and Stock. — At a recent meeting of the 

 Royal Horticultural Society, Mr. Worthington 

 G. Smith exhibited a drawing of a singular 

 grafted cherry tree, now growing near Harpen- 

 den. The point of attachment between the stock 

 and scion is seven feet from the ground line. The 

 smooth stock (wild cherry) is upwards of three 

 feet in circumference, whilst the gnarled and 

 rugged scion is more than six feet in circumfer- 

 ence. The sudden disparity in size of the stem 

 gives the tree an extraordinary appearance. 



War on the Insects. — An " Insect Society " is 

 said to exist at Grand Traverse, to encourage 

 people to destroy insects. It is said that whereas 

 not five per cent, of the fruit matured,before the 

 Society went into operation, over seventy-five 

 per cent, is now the crop. 



Bearing Age of Pear Tree,s. — There is an 

 impression that it is an " endless " time to look 

 for, before the pear tree, set out, bears ; but a 

 beginning is generally made with fruit in three 

 or four years from planting a grafted tree. 

 Even a seedling tree is not as long in coming 

 up to the work, as people often think. In this 

 connection we may give the following from a 

 Western paper : — " Thirty-five years ago M. A. 

 Wilkinson planted a pear seed, which is a tree 

 now, on a farm owned by Dennis Nelson, near 

 Dunlap, Peoria Co., 111. This tree is of course a 

 seedling, and bore thirty bushels of pears in 1875, 

 which sold at the rate of four dollars per bushel. 

 The product for 1876 was forty bushels and sold 

 for about three dollars per bushel. Total result 

 in two years $250. Who can beat this ? The 

 tree is said to have proven as hardy as an oak. 

 Mr. Nelson says he has owned the farm for twelve 

 j-ears and has not failed in this time to get a fair 

 crop. Its keeping qualities are good. Will 

 keep until Spring ; like a Winter apple." 



