October 31. 1867. J 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND OOTTAGE QABDENEB. 



325 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



OCT. 81— NOV. 6, 1867. 



Al.L Saistii. 



Itoyal Hiirticulturnl Society, Promenade. 



•io Sunday after Tuinity. 



Royal HortiouUiiral Society, Fruit and 

 [Floral Committee Mooting. 



Avorajfo Temporttturc 

 Dear L<inilua. 



Day. 

 68.7 

 54.0 

 C4.8 

 G8.4 

 .11.9 

 fr.'.'l 



Nlvht. 



.S7.8 

 87 8 

 87.4 

 KM 

 86 5 

 87.7 

 87.6 



Mean 



45.7 



45.9 



458 



44.6 



44.2 



45.3 



46.1 



Hain In 



lait 

 40 years. 



Days. 

 •21 

 23 

 18 

 18 

 20 

 20 

 19 



Son 

 BiBce. 



65 



67 



68 







2 



4 



8an 

 Sets. 



Moon 

 Rises. 



Moon 

 Sets. 



nl. h. m. h. m. h. 

 6.'ial6 8.-,af4 8IaflO 25 aj 7 



88 

 81 

 29 

 27 

 25 

 24 



Bftur. 

 41 n 

 18 1 

 48 1 

 16 2 



U 12 



1 " 



mom. 

 6 



Moon's 

 Age. 



Davs. 

 4 

 6 

 6 

 7 

 1> 

 9 

 10 



From observations taken near London during the Inst forty years, the avorago day toraperataro of the week is 58.3^; and its night 

 temperature 87.1°. The greatest heat was 61", on the 2ud, 1857 ; and the lowest cold 19% on the 8rd, 1861. The greaUst fall ot rain 

 vas 0.82 inch. 



TRANSPLANTING FKUIT TREES. 



ET.V," alarmed at my rccom- 

 mciulinj; Apricot trees to lie 

 transplanted in the middle 

 of Se])(ember, ajipeals to the 

 Editors for their confirma- 

 tion or otherwise of wliat 

 he terms my " dictum." 

 Ilavinft no experience to record, lie wisely refrains from 

 maliinf; any remarks on the propriety or impropriety of 

 transplanting Apricots in the middle of September. His 

 experience is with Apple trees — the last of fruit trees to 

 blossom, ti> leaf, and of the latest to lose the foliar;o. 

 There is no annlo-^y between the Apple tree and the 

 Apricot, the latter being the first to blossom and leaf, and 

 it is not the last, but among the tirst, to lose its foliage in 

 autumn. 



I do not consider the Editors' reply to " Beta " is other- 

 wise than a confirmation of my remarks, for they say, 

 "Trees which ripen tlioir wood early may be planted early 

 with propriety. Is not the Apricot one of this description '.' 

 Mr. Thompson, in his excellent work " The Gardeners' 

 Assistant, ' page 5.i(i, says, " I'lanting may be performed 

 in the end of September :" and so thoroughly convinced 

 am I of the desirability and soundness of the early planting 

 of Apricot trees, that I have again this year transplanted 

 some on the 20th of September, and I find they are 

 making good prop-ess at the root, and will be in fine 

 condition for a \'igorous growth next spring. I tried the 

 transplanting of Apricot trees in the middle of September 

 in lS(i(i, lsii."i, and 1^(14, and have not lost a tree or even 

 twig, nor fruit, for trees could not well bear better crops. 

 I admit that planting in September is not to be performed 

 in the same manner as that in the end of October or No- 

 vember : but if done carefully, I hold that the Apricot is 

 as safely moved in September as it is later, whilst the 

 prospects of fruit and a more vigorous growth attend early 

 rather tlian late planting. For an Apricot to fruit and 

 make a vigorous growth in the following year it should be 

 planted as early in the autumn as the state of the weather 

 and condition of the trees warrant. Transplanting requires 

 care and judgment. Trees in the open giciund in nurseries 

 are not fit for being planted so soon as trees tliat are grown 

 against a wall, tor their growth is later, and their wood 

 not nearly so well ripened. Sir. Rivers advises .\pricot 

 trees to bo potted in October ; he has discontinued the 

 practice of remo\-ing the surface soil in autumn for the 

 purpose of top-dressing. He finds it better to do it when 

 the trees have leaves. Autumn top-dressing, he sa3-s, is 

 quite unnoccssar}-. I wish that he would go a step further, 

 and tell us that in any way disturbing the roots of a tree 

 when it has ceased growth and is at rest is not onl}' un- 

 necessary but injurious. The late planting of fruit trees, 

 Mo. SM — Toi. xm., NsT Ssu». 



and of .\pricots especially, I have proved bad. Judging 

 from what occurs in mv own neighbonrhood, they do not 

 root in winter after the fall of the leaf, if planting has been 

 deferred until that time ; for Apricot trees I planted in No- 

 vember have no rootlets formed when I take them up for exa- 

 mination early in February, but they have many if planted 

 at the close of Septcmber."if they are examined in Novem- 

 ber. The trees I took up and replanted on the :*mh of 

 September have as healthv a look as those that were not 

 moved, their foliage dying off with a better colour. I Wje 

 to see the leaves of trees assume their full autumn tint be- 

 fore thev fall : it is a sure sign the wood is ripe, but when 

 the leaves fall green it is a sure indication of late growth, 

 and immature wood. 



As to planting Apricot trees in November, I find they 

 do not succeed so well as trees planted early in :March, 

 and they do quite as well planted in April as when planted 

 in Nove'mbcr and during the months intervening between 

 it and March. I have planted Apricot trees in September, 

 October. November, December. February, March. April, 

 and May, or during eight months out of the twelve, and 

 the trees that have done the best the following year were 

 tliose planted in September, but all have gi-own well. 



Whilst I would in all cases prefer September jdanting 

 for the Apricot when the trees are on the ground. I am 

 ready to grant that it would not be safe to take up trees 

 from the open ground in nurseries, and expose the roots to 

 air as they arc after the leaves have fallen. September will 

 not do for this wholesale mode of planting. The trees must 

 be lifted carefully, their fibrous roots must be kept from the 

 sun and air, and their foliage screened from the sun after 

 the trees are planted. If this care cannot bo afforded at 

 planting, then no one should think of planting until most 

 of the leaves have fallen, and after this the cariier it is 

 done in autumn the better. Apricot planting should cease 

 by the second week in November : the trees will do better 

 planted in ]March than late in November, December, 

 .Januarv, or I'ebruaiy. 



Having, by recommending .Ypricots to be planted during 

 the middle of September, wholly contradicted "Beta's" 

 "old-fashioned notions." I nm almost afraid to venture a 

 response to vour call, " We shall be glad to see the opinions 

 of others, ' fearing lest I should still further confirm him 

 in his " old-fashioned notions " by stating how successful I 

 have been in the early moving of Apple trees, which with 

 him do very inditlerentlv planted in October— one dies 

 outright, the second fails' to set a fruit, the third sets one 

 fruit half-star\-ed and good for nothing. What would 

 " Beta " think if he saw any one Hfting Apple and Pear 

 trees on a very hot day during the early part of July '? 

 Tills I did in ISfiC, ; .Vpple bushes and pyramids on the 

 Paradise stock, and Pear pyramids were moved in July. 

 They were moved a distance of IdO yards, received each a 

 wateringpotfnl of water, and had a mat placed before 

 them on the south side from !< a.m. to pm. A good 

 watering overhead was given every day in the evening. 

 Neither .\pple nor Pear trees lost a leaf, and now they 

 are fine trees. 



I had no idea how easy it was to plant Apples on the 



.Ko. SM.-Voi. XXSVIIL, 0iJ> Semes, 



