May C, 1869. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEK. 



311 



in order to devclope tho lowest branches, the cut should ho made 

 as in Jig. 20, at a. Tliis figure is from a Louise Bonne Pear. 

 The upright sliout is tliat from the A bud of the scion ; the 

 shoots from tho ii and c buds have been stopped at the points 

 marked s. This was dene early in July, whilst tho A shoot was 

 allowed to grow to the end of August, and was tiieu stopped. A 

 warm aiitumn made tliis shoot push again ; ordinarily it would 

 not have made any farther elongation after being stopped so lato 

 as the end of August. The reason for stopping it at all was to 

 help to mature tile lower buds. At the same timo that the lead- 

 ing shoot A is eut at a, what was the upper part of the scion, witli 

 the B and c shoots, is to be removed by being eut off at h. If all 

 go right tho seven buds on the portion of tho A shoot left will 

 grow vigorously. The central or loading shoot should bo stopped 

 by the end of July by pinching oB' tho upper portion with six 

 or seven leaves from the i>oint. The six lateral branches arc to 

 be permitted full liberty till the end of August, and then must 

 be stopped by merely pinching ofi' the end of each down to the 

 first full-sized leaf. The leader will push again, the new shoots 

 ■will use up all superlluous sap, and the branches will rarely 

 break again, only forming a perfect bud at the leaf to which 

 they have been stopped. 



Fig. 2 1 represents our young tree at the end of this second 

 season. As before, s denotes the place where the leader was 

 pinched in July. Such growth makes it a very easy matter to 



Fig. 21. — YouDC pyramidal Pear tree at tho end of the second year, 

 showing the growth from tlie lowest seven eyes. The s shows the place 

 where the central tjhoot was stopped. 



form the lowest whorl of the pyramid ; but it does not happen 

 as a matter of course that the branches grow so regularly and 

 equally as in this specimen ; most commonly some of them are 

 inclined to grow stronger than the rest, and we must find out 

 means of regulating their vigour. Now, we shall have to cut 

 off about one-third of each of these branches in tho following 

 spring, and it does not matter, therefore, whether the eyes in 

 the portion to be removed aro well developed or not ; therefore 

 we can diminish the vigour of the branches which are inclined 

 to grow too vigorously by removing the foliage from these upper 

 portions. If, however, wo take off a leaf we ruin the bud in the 

 axil of that leaf. Now, though we do not care for tho buds in 

 these ends of the branches, it is better to proceed in a less de- 

 structive way, which is to cut the leaves across with a pair of 

 scissors, at about their middle. By the time this is needed there 

 will be, probably, some six or eight leaves to he shorn, and the 

 check this gives to the whole branch is generally enough to 



allow tho others to overtake it. If, however, some unruly follow 

 will persovero in outstripping his brethren, there is nothing for 

 it but to pinch his head off at tho last well-developed leaf. This 

 ci)iialisuti(m must he seen to by tho end of July. 



In tho following spring all tho seven branches must be cut 

 back to about t!ie distances indicated by the ellipse, in order to 

 ensure the development of tho spurs or latenals on the lower 

 portions. We cannot hurry thcso forms excepting at the sacri- 

 fice of fruitfulness. If wo allow the branches to grow unchecked, 

 they wdl have no eyes on the lower portions to furnish spurs ; 

 and if we stop the branches aa thoy grow by summer pinching, 

 wo prevent them from becoming vigorous ; therefore in the early 

 stages of formation wo must allow them to grow more freely, 

 and cut back more severely than is right when the tree ia on<;f 

 fairly formed. — W. Kinosley. 



(Tobecontinoed.) 



MAIDSTONE GARDENERS' IMPROVEMENT 

 ASSOCIATION. 



(P'n/iti a t'orrespomlrnt .) 



SouE time ago Mr. Wills explained at length the working of 

 a society of gardeners at Leeds, and set forth the advantages of 

 a body of men working together as compared with those at- 

 tendant on efforts made single-handed. He also described the 

 benefits which the society offered in alleviating the distresses 

 of its members, and in its meetings affording opportunities for 

 discussion on the culture of particular plants and branches of 

 garden management. Tho former feature — that of giving as- 

 sistance in sickness and other misfortunes, however commend- 

 able, has also its shady side, for a benevolent club and one for 

 the discussion of professional matters do not in every case 

 work well together ; and the example given is not of sufficiently 

 longstanding to serve as a proof of the society being exempt 

 from the little jealousies and unpleasantnesses that creep in, 

 in spite of all the care of well-disposed and energetic managers. 

 Witness the number of horticultural societies which have 

 fallen into decay from this cause during the last twenty or 

 thirty years. However, lot us hope that with the spread of 

 education, and a more just appreciation of the advantage of act- 

 ing in unison, such societies as that which Mr. Wills has 

 described may go on prosperously, and be of benefit alike to 

 the members and neighbourhood. Tho Leeds Society is placed 

 in the centre of a wealthy district, with a teeming and opulent 

 population, and, not the least advantage, the town may be 

 said to represent a tract of country of more than ordinary 

 fertility for a manufacturing district. With coals cheap and 

 plentiful as compared with what they are in many places, the 

 probability is that gardening is there extensively practised. 

 But my purpose is not to make a comparison between Leeds 

 and other districts, but to show that with a very small begin- 

 ning other associations of gardeners may also be formed in 

 neighbourhoods which have not the wealth and population of 

 manufacturing districts, and where the nearest coalpit is pro- 

 bably two hundred miles ofl'. 



About seven years ago a few gardeners in the immediate 

 neighbourhood of Maidstone met, with the view of forming a 

 society where subjects connected with their calling might be 

 discussed. A set of rules having been determined on, and a, 

 small subscription required from the members, its work com- 

 menced at once by holding monthly and fortnightly meetings, 

 the latter being less important than the former. Active officers 

 being appointed, and suitable subjects chosen to debate upon, 

 the meetings were very popular, and honorary as well as 

 ordin.ary members joined in numbers, so much so that during 

 tho second winter of the Society's existence it was determined 

 to hold a show. The Corn Exchange, the largest room in the 

 town, was engaged for the purpose, and the skill of the com- 

 mittee was taxed in devising means to decorate it by wreaths 

 of evergreens above and a judicious display of plants on stages 

 on the floor, together with vases of artificial stone, basins, &c. 

 The appearance of the whole was so much appreciated that there 

 has been a repetition of the spring show every year, and at 

 that held last spring, to which a small charge was made for 

 admission, there was upwards of £88 taken at the door. Con- 

 sidering that the town, unlike the centres of manufacturing 

 industry, does not count its population by tens of thousands, 

 but that there are only about 24,000 inhabitants, and the 

 neighbourhood is a rural one, this is a good sum, especially as 

 all the honorary members had a number of tickets free. 



For the working of a Society of this kind considerable 



