358 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



good another 6 inches sh<iuld be removed and this 

 space filled with fine broken stone, brick or old flower 

 pots. Upon this porons stratum 6 inches of well- 

 rotted cow manure should be placed, and finally suffi- 

 cient heavy soil to finish the bed, raising it not more 

 than 3 inches above the surrounding grade. This 

 latter layer should, if possible, be top soil ( including 

 sod) from an old pasture. After making the bed it 

 should be allowed to settle for a week before the 

 planting is begun. 



Roses may be set out either in the fall nr in the 

 spring. The spacing depends very largely ujion the 

 variety ; tea and hybrid tea varieties may be planted about 

 eighteen inches apart, but hybrid peroetuals, on account of 

 their more vigorous growth, should be spaced at least 2 3/ 

 feet, and ramblers eventually need about 4 feet. In 

 any case an eight-inch margin from the edge of the 

 bed should be allowed. Where potted stock is being 

 j)lanted, the ball of earth should be placed with its 

 upper surface about 2 inches below the soil ; field- 

 grown stock may be set 2 or 3 inches lower than its 

 former position in the nursery. The holes for receiv- 

 ing the plants should be large enough to admit the 

 stock without bending or crowding the roots, the 

 soil should be firmly packed around the roots, and 

 the plants thoroughly watered immediately after 

 planting. All stock should be so pruned that but two 

 or three buds remain on each shoot — the upper bud, 

 in each case, pointing outward. 



Rose stock may be either grown on its own roots, 

 or grafted or budded. It may be well in this connec- 

 tion, however, to call attention to certain disadvan- 

 tages which attach to budded stock. In general, bud- 

 ded stock is more easily killed in severe winters than 

 is stock grown on its own roots, and in addition the 

 shoots which invariably spring from the parent stock 

 frequently suppress the scion unless cut away. On 

 the other hand, there are varieties of roses which it 

 is impossible to grow satisfactorily unless they are budded 

 on to a hardier stock. — From Missouri Botanical Garden 

 Bulletin. 



WORK FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. 



; {Coutiiiued froui pai^c 356.) 



sides in a 'dry shed and later on shaken out, and stored 

 in bo.xes where the temperature does not go below 50°. 



Miseellaueous Plants. 



Xo time should be lost in dealing with Rmiian Hya- 

 cinths, Paper White Narcissus, Due \'an Thai Tulips, 

 and similar early flowering bulbs that are intended for 

 Christmas use. Others may be potted for a succession. 



Single Violets may be planted if not already done. 

 Early planting is advisable where frame culture is 

 adopted, so that the plants will produce a crop of blooms 

 before cold weather sets in. 



Primulas, Cinerarias and Cyclamen that have been 

 grown in cold frames should be brought indoors this 

 month. Pot on such as require it. Cyclamen should be 

 ready to put into their flowering pots. Keep them clean 

 by frequent spraying and fumigation Stevia and sola- 

 nums are tender ]3lants and should be lifted and placed 

 in a cool house before cold nights overtake them. 



CULTIVATION OF DWARF FRUIT TREES, 



In his lecture on dwarf fruit trjes before a gathering of 

 gardeners who congregated at "Homewood," Xew 

 Rochelle, N. Y., to inspect the fruit gardens there, 



Nicholas Butterhach, who is superintendent of the estate, 

 stated that the trimming of dwarf fruit trees is resorted 

 to, first, — to give the tree a regular form and to evenlv 

 distribute the sap ; second, — to force the tree to bear ; 

 third, — to keep the tree in bearing condition; fourth, — 

 to get bigger and sometimes earlier fruit and better 

 quality : fifth, — to prolong the life of the tree. 



The proper cultivation of dwarf fruit trees, with regu- 

 lar forms, like Pyramids, Cordons, Espaliers, etc., he 

 ren-arked, is to raise a certain amount of trees in differ- 

 ent sliapes without difficulty in small space with better 

 fruit and more production. A continuous production 

 can be had by leaving only a certain amount of fruit each 

 year and getting a more satisfactory growth. The fruit 

 left on the tree in proportionate quantity is according to 

 its vigor so that each will get its proportion of nourish- 

 ment, sun and air required for bigger voluiue and Ijetter 

 (|uality. The maturity is hastened by the eft'ect of pinch- 

 ing, sun and air. 



Air. Butterhach declared that pruning and pinching is 

 necessary if the work is to be done according to vegetable 

 physiology. If improperly done it will prove detrimental 

 to fruit production and to the tree. The winter pruning 

 is distinguished from the summer pruning in that the 

 winter pruning is done from the time that the sap has 

 entirely stoppetl flowing imtil before it starts flowing 

 again, while the summer pruning is done from the time 

 vegetation commences in the spring until the end of 

 August. 



Pinching has the eft'ect of forcing the sap in the use- 

 ful spurs, in throwing out new shoots and setting others 

 to fruit. The severity- of the pinching depends on the 

 vigor iif the tree and its bearing quality. Young trees 

 not entirely formed are the more severely pinched to 

 give them regularity and form, also to set them to bear. 

 If two gnjwths are on the same spur, one is pinched 

 while the other is left to be pinched- much later, for if 

 the two growths were pinched at the same time, the sap 

 would push the eyes to new- growth and would have to 

 be pinched again and again without getting the result 

 we are aiming at, namely, fruit buds. If there are more 

 than two growths on the same spur, they are entirely 

 cut out. 



I'inching should be done gradually, foi if it is prac- 

 ticed too much at a time the fruit buds will develo]> into 

 wood buds. 



The gourmand is a spur which is easily distinguished 

 by its proportion from that of its neighbors. The eyes 

 near the base are very small and far apart, while those 

 on top are big and develop full shoots. The gourmand 

 lives where the circulation of the sap is strongest : it 

 takes the nourishment from the other spurs and destroys 

 the equilibrium of the tree. Gourmands are more fre- 

 ciuently found on apple cordons than any other tree, 

 they must be pinched more frequently than other spurs 

 to distribute the vigor of the tree. The brindle is a spur, 

 long and flexible, six to eight inches long, and has very 

 small eyes. It is not disposed to grow strong and is one 

 of the first sources of fruit. If there are enough of 

 fruit buds on the tree, the brindle is cut to two or three 

 eyes, otherwise it is left alone. 



Summer pinching is one of the most important opera- 

 tions in the culture of the fruit tree. It should not be 

 done too early, as the sap is apt to leave the pinched part 

 and would produce nothing, while on the other hand, if 

 I'inched too late well-formed eves would develop instant- 

 h- and the result would not be satisfactory. Pinching 

 ought to be done to three, four, five, or six leaves or 

 eves, accorfling to the variety or growth. Young trees 

 should be more severely pinched than the older ones, 

 and this practiced until they are entirely formed. 



