310 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



[ May 6, 1869. 



plant of Acacia lophantha has lost part of its leaves, but loolis 

 well, and is beginning to make new growth. Veronica speciosa 

 has not suffered at all. Myrtles have also endured the winter, 

 and are all right. A large old plant of Diosma fragrana has 

 stood out in a sheltered situation without even being plunged. 

 The others were planted out in the ordinary way in a sheltered 

 situation ; they were protected a little overhead when the frost 

 was likely to be severe. They are now fully exposed to the 

 elements, and to all appearance will make good growth during 

 the spring. They were old stunted plants that were turned out 

 of the conservatory to make room for others. — M. H., AclUam 

 Hall, Middleshrough-on-Tces. 



POMOLOGICAL GLEANINGS. 



" I BEG to call your attention to the beautiful appearance 

 which the semi-double floweiis of Henri Capkon Peak present 

 this season, some of which I forward for your inspection. On 

 a large pyramid tree which we have growing here, now one mass 

 of blossom, fully one-third of the flowers are similar to those 

 I send jou — one or two branches entirely so, of others a great 

 portion, while other portions are of the usual character. I 

 have never noticed this character before, and my attention was 

 directed to it through the dense and beautiful appearance of 

 the blossom. The tree, although in the midst of a plantation of 

 over one hundred varieties all in full bloom, stands boldly out, 

 the most beautiful of them all. I shall try, by saving the seeds 

 from the fruits of these semi-double flowers, as well as by the 

 grafts from the shoots, to perpetuate this. Is it not worthy ? 

 I also send a few flowers of the well-known semi-double orna- 

 mental Pyrus spectabilis, for you to observe that this Pear, 

 Henri Capron, has the flowers equally double. I count four- 

 teen and fifteen petals on each, the usual complement of the 

 Pyrus family being only five. The flowers of the Henri Capron 

 are much more spreading, and in consequence do not appear 

 so double as those of the Pyrus spectabilis, which is one of 

 the most beautiful ornamental-flowering trees in cultivation, 

 and not nearly so common as it deserves to be. — Archaubaud." 

 [These blossoms are, as you describe them, very beautiful. You 

 are right to try and secure this character by grafting. — Eds.] 



" Should another month of such glorious weather con- 

 tinue, what a splendid fruit season we shall have ! Never have 

 trees been so laden with flowers, especially Apples, Pears, 

 Plums, and Cherries. The Pears up to the present time look 

 admirably, many of the earlier-flowering sorts and those on walls 

 being beautifully set and swelling off. Care must be taken to 

 thin the fruit if fine specimens are desired, and even it good- 

 flavoured fruit is wanted. It is the same with Pears and other 

 orchard fruits in this respect, as with Grapes and Peaches. 

 Foliage is produced mainly through the agency of the roots, 

 and the crop of fruit must be regulated according to the amount 

 of foliage properly developed, not according to the size of the 

 tree, as all the flavouring matter passes through, and has to 

 be elaborated by, the leaves. This is well evidenced in the 

 case of the Gooseberry. The fruit on a bush from which the 

 caterpillar has stripped nearly all the leaves are either sour 

 or tasteless. 



" Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots, I am sorry to learn, will 

 be but a scanty crop. This appears to be generally the case, 

 on the open walls especially, notwithstanding the abundance of 

 blossom. This forms one more argument in favour of cultiva- 

 tion under glass ; there, also, however, I hear of similar com- 

 plaints. To what cause can this be owing ? The trees mostly 

 blossomed early, and March was a very cold, windy, and stormy 

 month. Yet there were no very severe frosts, and in the case 

 of protected trees, and those under glass, no injury could have 

 been received. Some say it is to be attributed to badly-ripened 

 and incipient wood, which I can scarcely believe, as I have seen 

 many examples, and can affirm that the wood was perfectly 

 ripened. I am inclined to attribute it greatly to the continued 

 cold-cutting winds of March and the absence of pollen, which, 

 in many cases, was remarkable, and also to the great and sudden 

 excitement which the trees experienced in the beginning of 

 April, after so long a season of lethargy. — Akchahbaud." 



DESTROY QUEEN WASPS. 



I THINK it would be well to draw the attention of yonr readers 



to the great good to be obtained by. at this season, destroying 



as many wasps as possible, especially as we are told that each 



one now destroyed probably prevents a nest. There is little food 



for them, and they are easily caught. I hung a bottle, with 

 beer and sugar in it, on a wall a few days since, and I now have 

 about a dozen drowned wasps — fine large ladies. I have for 

 years pursued the same course in August, when I have been 

 rewarded with pints; but surely one killed now is worth a pint 

 at that season. I cannot but think that if lovers of fruit- 

 growing would now use this means they would be saved much 

 trouble and annoyance at the time when their fruit is ripen- 

 ing. — C. R. SCHOLFIELD. 



THE PORTABLE ORCHARD. 



(Continued from page 277.) 

 Thk two commonest and best forms for potted trees are tho 

 pyramid and goblet. No doubt irregular forms will aiford fruit, 

 and I am sorry to say I have plenty of them, for it is impossible 

 to obtain bought trees that can always be trained regularly ; 

 but these irregular forms are always best treated by trying to 

 get rid of as much irregularity as possible. I shall endeavour, 

 therefore, to describe regular forms only, giving passing hints 

 for those roughly appro-ximating to them. 



To form a pyramid we require, as before, to encourage the 

 growth of the lower branches as much as possible, and I know 

 of no other way of accomplishing this but by checking the 

 growth of the upper part of tho tree till the lower branches are 

 established ; and as we cannot bend doi\-n the vertical leader 

 now to any purpose, there is nothing for it but the knife. The 

 young tree, then, must be cut down early in spring, so as to leave 

 six or seven eyes above the graft, to give one shoot for an upright 

 leader, and five or six for the lowest tier of branches. As this is 

 tho first serious amputation that we have been called upon to 

 perform, and there is a right and a wrong way of doing every- 

 thing, I will offer a few words about cutting-back. If a cut is 

 made when the sap is active, the knife .should have its edge 

 placed exactly opposite the bud to which it is intended to cut 

 back, and the cut made with a slant, coming out close above the 

 bud, leaving no snag to force the young shoot sideways. A cut 

 so made when the sap is active wUl have tho lips of the wound 



healed in a very short 

 time. If the cut is 

 made with too long a 

 slant, the surface to be 

 covered over is so much 

 larger. On the other 

 hand, if a snag is left the 

 young shoot is distorted, 

 and the wound cannot 

 heal till the snag is cut 

 off. When, however, a 

 largo amputation is to 

 be made, the operation 

 should be performed at 

 two separate times, the 

 first cut being mado 

 when the plant is dor- 

 mant, and to the eye 

 next above the one to 

 which it is requisite to 

 go,and then when the sap 

 is flowing the final cut is 

 made as above directed. 

 Also in cutting branches 

 inclined at various an - 

 gles, if they are large 

 '^ the cut should be 

 made from below up- 

 wards, to prevent rain 

 resting on the exposed 

 surface ; and as we gene- 

 rally have to cut to an 

 under bud — that is, one 

 on the under side of the 

 branch, wo must begin 

 tho cut just beyond the 

 bud, and come out a 

 quarter of an inch or so 

 Fif!. 20.— Maiden Pear tref, showing the ijeyond Jt on the upoer 

 growth daring tlie summer of the year it was ./ ,,. i:.,i,, „_„„4,' „t 

 grafted, and also the piaces where ithasbeen side, this little snagmust 

 stopped, and where it was cut back in the be cut off in the tollow- 

 lollowing spring. jug year whoa the tree 



is in leaf. All such large cuts should be covered with grafting wax. 

 Reverting, then, to our yoimg tree, which is to be cut down 



