NoTember 20, 1808. 1 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTDRE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



4oa 



bar across the shoot a, it beinK left about H inches in length, 

 more or less as the buds determine ; and by the shorteniuf,', 

 whilst the shoot producos fruit in the following year, a eucces- 

 Bional shoot from its base will be originated as shown by tho 

 dotted line. That shoot, or another of the same year, of pro- 

 duction, is to be stopped as its predece-ssor «, and at the winter 

 pruning; shortened or mit back to a wood bud. 



The shoot a, in addition to the shoot from its base, will push 

 from all the wood buds. These will not all be required ; part 

 must be removed, but only those having: no fruit at their bases. 

 The terminal youuj; shoot from a, which I will for explanation 

 transfer to c, should be retained and allowed to j^row until the 

 lower leaves are nearly full-sized, then shorten it to i! inches. 

 The other young shouts with fruit at their bases should be 

 stopped when they have formed three leaves ; all others are to 

 be rubbed off in disbudding, always excepting the young shoot 

 from the base of the bearing one, which is to furnish fruit the 

 following year. Upon thinning the fruit it will be found that 

 there will be some of the shoots stopped with no fruit at their 

 base; these maybe removed, but leaves must bo preserved on 

 the bearing shoot above the fruit. If the shoots on the bearing 

 wood push laterals, take out their point at the first leaf after 

 the first stopping, c Shows a shoot which has produced fruit. 

 It will not do so again {except from the short stubs, which is 

 not desirable), as we have a young shoot to replace it, and 

 therefore it must in autumn or winter be cut off close to the 

 guccessional shoot b. 



The successional shoot h is to be cut back to the bar, or to 

 8 or 9 inches in length, and from its base a bearing shoot is to 

 be originated and treated as its predecessor, which it will 

 replace in the following year. As a rule, every bearing shoot 

 should have a successional young shoot, and springing from 

 the base of the bearing shoot, and as near thereto as possible. 

 The successional shoots may be encouraged one year from the 

 opposite side of the bearing shoots to that next the branch, and 

 in the following year on the side next the branch. In this way 

 they will be kept nearly in the same position, whilst if encou- 

 raged from one side only they become too close or too distant 

 from the branch. Sometimes a bud will push from the stub 

 closer to the branch than the origin of the last successional 

 shoot ; this should be encouraged and be made the successional 

 shoot, and in this case the stub above may be cut off in the 

 following autumn. This will keep the bearing wood close to 

 the branch, which is desirable. 



The long spur or short shoot d, fig. 12, may, if there is a 

 deficiency of fruit buds, be left its entire length — that is, if 

 fruit is to be taken from it, and in autumn it should be cut 

 back to the wood buds at its base if they have not pushed in 

 the summer ; but if they push, stop the shoots at the third 

 leaf, and repeatedly afterwards to one leaf, and in autumn 

 shorten them to two or three buds from their base, and they 

 will form spurs. If there is a sufficient number of fruit buds 

 on the bearing wood, then these long spurs should be cut back 

 at the winter pruning to a wood bud at the base, where the bar 

 is on ((, Jhj. 12 and in fuj. 10, and from it a shoot will push in 

 the followmg spring ; and it may be allowed to grow to replace 

 the bearing wood if desirable and well situated, or it may be 

 stopped at the third joint, and afterwards to one joint, cutting 

 back at the winter pruning to three buds, and it wiU form 

 spurs in the following year, or shoots, and probably afford 

 fruit. 



The spur or short stubby shoot, fig. 11, and e, fig. 12, having 

 no wood buds except one at the extremity, must not be short- 

 ened at the winter or summer pruning, but must be left its 

 entire length, and suffered to grow annually until its length 

 becomes too great, then cut it back to the branch, within half 

 an inch or so, for it is probable that a shoot may start from its 

 base or from the branch whence the spur in the first instance 

 originated. 



We now come to the shoots that are stopped, and they in- 

 clude all shoots except the bearing wood and the short or 

 natural spurs. In fig. 12, / is intended to represent one of 

 these shoots stopped as it ought to be when it has made three 

 leaves, and repeatedly pinched back to one leaf after the first 

 stopping. If it should not grow more than an inch do not 

 stop it, but leave it entire ; it is a natural spur. It requires 

 some experience to distinguish between a shoot that is a spur 

 and a shoot on its first appearance ; but the spurs are in 

 general much weaker-growing than the shoots, and have the 

 leaves very close together, whilst on a shoot the leaves or joints 

 are more than twice the distance from each other that they are 

 on the spars. 



The shoot may not push after stopping ; in that case it will 

 form blossom buds in the axils of the leaves, and the object of 

 the stopping is secured for it is a spur. If it push, for which 

 wo have already provided the needlul stopping, buds, and more 

 or less of them blossom buds, will be formed at the bases of the 

 laterals, and below them blossom buds may have formed. In 

 case of there being blossom buds below the laterals, the shoot 

 should be cut to the next wood bud below the starting of the 

 laterals, where the bar is across/, fig. 12 ; but if there are no 

 blossom buds on the part left, or below the laterals, as will be 

 the case if the shoot be strong, there will, no doubt, be some 

 near tho bases of the laterals. Instead, therefore, of shorten- 

 ing at the winter pruning to below the laterals, we must shorten 

 the lateral or laterals to a wood bud having fruit buds by its 

 side or immediately below it. It will be enough if from four to 

 six fruit buds are left on each of the stopped shoots ; but if 

 this number cannot be secured without great length of shoot, 

 it is better to rest satisfied with a less number, or with none, 

 rather than have a long stub. In that case the shoot must be 

 cut off below the laterals. 



The pruning being upon tho laterals, the shoots they pro- 

 duce in the following year must be pinched at the third joint if 

 they grow more than an inch, and a shoot must be encouraged 

 from the base (see dotted line (', Jig. 121, and it will be stopped 

 at the third leaf, and repeatedly to one afterwards. This vrill 

 in winter be shortened to the nearest wood bud at its base, and 

 all others shortened to two or three joints. If the spur, how- 

 ever, is long already, and shade the bearing wood and spurs, it 

 will be well to cut the spurs off, leaving none but that which 

 originates from the base, which is to replace them when they 

 become too long and unmanageable. In general these spurs 

 will need to be replaced every third year, so that a successional 

 one must be originated in the following season from near the 

 base, and held in reserve, one or more of these snccessionalK 

 being secured according to the duration of the original spur. 



The spurs must be kept short, and as near the wall as possible, 

 and for the most part originated on the lower side of the 

 branches, where they will not shade the bearing wood, though 

 where there is room they may be left on the upper side, and 

 they will be a means of replacing any worn-out old bearing 

 shoot, a shoot being encouraged from the base of the spur ; 

 and the part above the shoot being cut away, it will grovf 

 strongly. The strong foreright shoots should be stopped, and 

 treated for spurs the same as those similarly treated on the 

 under side of the branches, only they must be more closely 

 pinched, and shortened at the winter pruning, and ought not 

 to exceed IJ inch in length. If the spurs become very twiggy 

 they should" be thinned, and when old and long they ought to 

 be replaced by others from the branch or base of the Bpnrs._ 



It should be borne in mind at all times of pinching, stopping, 

 or pruning, that all wood of the Peach or Nectarine above one 

 year old is of no use, except to support the parts that then or 

 afterwards may bear fruit ; care, therefore, should be taken 

 to keep the old useless wood as near to the branches as possible, 

 by encouraging a young shoot from the branches or bases of 

 the bearing shoots or spurs, so that these, when old and long, 

 may be replaced speedily and with certainty. — G. Aebey. 



POMOLOGICiM, GLEANINGS. 



A Japanese Apr.icoT. — " A few years since," writes " T. B.," 

 " I received a variety of Apricot imported from Japan by the 

 late M. Siebold, and named ' Mnmi'.' My attention was scxtn 

 attracted to it by its early blossoming in the orchard house, 

 once or twice towards the end of January, some five or six 

 weeks before the earliest sorts now cultivated. I quite hoped 

 it would prove a valuable assistant in producing something 

 quite new among Apricots, as the tree could be retarded by 

 placing it out of doors, so as to have flowers ready for crosE- 

 ing when the early varieties put forth their flowers in the house. 

 As far as I recollect, it gave its first fruits in ISOG ; they ripened 

 comparatively late, and were not at all promising. Thinking it 

 might be the effect of that cool season, I waited, hoping for 

 something better. Last spring my tree put forth an abundant 

 crop of blossoms early in February ; they were of a pale pink, 

 and very ornamental. A good crop of fruit followed, which, 

 owing to the hot weather, ripened well. They were yellow, and 

 of the exact form of the fruit of the Common Sweet Almone', 

 with the same pointed shape, but not so large, and they 

 ripened about a fortnight after the Early Moorpark, thus 

 destroying my anticipation of having an early sort to improTe 



