442 



JJUBNAL OF HOBTICDLTUEE AND COTTAGE GAjiL^ENEil. 



f December 10, 1868. 



inicy, and rich, with a fine, luscions, muscat flavonr. The 

 leaves are briskly, deeply lobed, and serrated, with reddish 

 stalks and midribs. 



" With such qualities as those just indicated, it is not surpris- 

 ing that the Madreefield Court Grape should have won a first- 

 class certificate when exhibited before the Fruit Committee in 

 August, 18()7, and that it should have been designated as a 

 splendid new Grape. In truth it comes in as a very useful 

 auxihary to the few thoroughly good Grapes already in culti- 

 vation, nearly if not quite cquaDing the Unseat of Alexandria 

 in quality, and indicating, by its stout firm footstalks and 

 leathery skin, that it will rank amongst those especially useful 

 kinds which hang well after they have reached the ripening 

 —{Florist and Poviologist, 3rd s., i. 2C5.) 



PEACH CULTIVATION.— No. C. 



PsTTNiNa (Continued).— Figs. 5 to 8 (pages 302, 303), are re- 

 presentations of the training of a Peach or Nectarine tree fan 

 fashion and for the long-pruning system, and I will now endea- 

 Tour to point out the mode of proceeding. 



Fig. 13 shows part of a branch having bearing shoots on the 



Fig. 13. 



tinder as well as upper side. Beyond these there are no other 

 shoots — no spurs, no stopped shoots. It has been already 

 shown how the bearing shoots are originated. In fig. 13 a is a 

 mature bearing shoot, which, from not being stopped, will be 

 of considerable length, and will have fruit and wood buds ter- 

 minated by a wood bud (see fig. 9). This, in autumn or at the 

 ■winter pruning, is to be shortened to within 8 or 9 inches of 

 its base — that is, eight joints should be left with their buds, 

 and at the joint to which the shoot is shortened one of the buds 

 must be a wood bud ; but it is immaterial whether it have one 

 or two blossom buds by its side or none, though it is desirable 

 to have blossom buds as well as the wood bud. The bars across 

 a and 6, fig. 13, will give an idea of the pruning. All the 

 wood buds upon the shoots a and b, or the parts left after 

 pruning, will push shoots in spring. Those having fruit set at 

 their base are to have their points taken out when they have 

 made three leaves, and afterwards they should be kept closely 

 pinched back to one joint. Those shoots having no fruit at 

 their bases are to be rubbed oft closely, but from the base of 

 the bearing shoot a shoot must be encouraged and trained-in 

 at its full length, as shown by the dotted lines from the bases 

 of the bearing shoots a and b. The shoots a and b, having 

 borne fruit, are not eligible for future bearing, and must in 

 antumn or winter be cut off close to the origin of the aucces- 

 sional shoots a and 6. This will be more easily comprehended 

 on reference to c, fig. 13, which represents a bearing shoot, 

 which in the autumn after bearing is to be cut off at the bar 

 across it close to the origin of the successional shoot d, which 

 is to be cut back as already described for a and b. The follow- 

 ing year's pruning is only a repetition of that of the preceding 

 year, with respect to the stopping of the shoots on the bearing 

 wood, and the originating of a shoot from the base for the next 

 year's bearing. All bearing shoots must have a successional 

 shoot from their base, and it cannot be kept too near the 

 htaes of the bearing shoot. Whenever there is an opportunity 

 of securing a successional shoot from the branch it should be 

 done, and trained-in to supjjlant the present bearing shoot; 

 and the last, with its stub, should be cut away close to the 

 branch, and the shoot from the old branch will replace it. In 

 like manner, if a shoot push from the short stub below the 

 bearing shoot, it should be encouraged and treated as the next 

 bearing shoot ; and the part above, at the winter pruning, should 

 be cut back to the shoot intended for next year's bearing. 

 Now, one of the objections to this mode of pruning is the 



shoots being allowed to grow at will. Some are very strong, 

 others are weak ; and even should they be of one uniform 

 degree of vigour, from their great length, the buds on their upper 

 part are in general the best, and these are the buds cut ofi at 

 the winter pruning. Another objection is that the buds at the 

 base are not so well developed, nor the shoot so strong, as in the 

 case of a shoot stopped ; for the buds, when a shoot is stopped, 

 are better fed, and a greater majority of fruit buds is formed ; 

 and they are better in another way, for the wood becomes more 

 fully ripened. By stopping we secure the full development of 

 the part below the stopping, and concentrate, as it were, the 

 vital forces of a long shoot in half the length, and that half the 

 part needed ; whereas by not stopping they are spread over 

 twice the length, and we have a weak long shoot, buds badly 

 developed, and wood imperfectly matured. I would advise that 

 all successional shoots should be stopped if they exceed a 

 greater length than 10 inches, stopping them between that and 

 1 foot in length, and treating them as described for the bearing 

 wood, fig. 12 (page 104). 



Occasionally the bearing shoots do not exceed S or 9 inches 

 in length. In that case they may be shortened at the winter 

 pruning to about G inches, there being some bloom buds below ; 

 but if there is not a wood bud conveniently situated to which 

 to cut back without destroying too many of the fruit buds, the 

 shoots must be left entire, preserving the wood bud at its ex- 

 tremity. Fig. 10 may be taken to represent a shoot of this kind. 



A bearing shoot not having fruit setting upon it, should not be 

 left over summer in its unfruitful state, but at the summer 

 pruning be cut ofi close to the successional shoot. This will 

 insure increased vigour of the successional shoot. 



Prom stopping, the successional shoots sometimes push 

 laterals lower down than is desired, or on the part which would 

 not be cut off at the winter pruning. That is no great evil, if 

 only their points be taken out at the first leaf, and they be 

 stopped repeatedly, as they push, to one joint. Very often at 

 the base of such laterals fruit buds will form ; if so, at the 

 winter pruning the laterals, if on the part to be left for bearing, 

 may be cut back to such buds, but in no case leave more than 

 one joint. If there are no buds, cut off close to the shoot at the 

 winter pruning. 



The training and pruning of the Peach after the tree is 

 formed, depend on a few simple operations. 1, The bearing 

 or intended bearing shoot is shortened at the winter pruning. 

 2, A shoot from the base of the bearing shoot is trained-in in 

 summer, stopping it to secure the full development of the 

 lower part, and its effectual ripening, a point of no mean im- 

 portance in a cold climate. 3, The cutting away at the winter 

 pruning of the shoots that have borne fruit, except the leading 

 shoots of the branches, which, in order to remain vigorons, 

 should not be allowed to bear fruit. 



DiSEUDDiNQ AND SiorpiNG. — By disbudding is meant the 

 removal of the shoots whilst in a young state. According to 

 the directions above given, it will have been seen that no dis- 

 budding is practised for the trees trained after the first of the 

 modes described — that is, as represented in figs. 1 to 4 (pages 

 26G and 267) for we make use of all shoots from the branches, 

 having spurs natural and artificial, and bearing-wood with its 

 successional shoot. This, some will say, will give the tree an 

 excessively crowded appearance; but it should not be forgotten 

 that we have no bearing and snoceasional shoots from the 

 lower sides of the branches, but spurs in their place, and on 

 the front and upper side also, when they can be obtained with- 

 out crowding so as to shade and interfere with the bearing 

 and successional shoots. If they are calculated to crowd and 

 overlay the bearing wood, then those on the front and upper 

 sides must be thinned ; for it is necessary that they should 

 have scope for their full development and maturation ; but 

 those on the under side cannot do any harm to the bearing 

 and successional shoots, if the spurs be kept closely stopped, 

 and shortened at the winter pruning ; in any case, when too 

 close together they can be thinned. 



Disbudding should be governed by the weather, and con- 

 sequent greater or less activity of growth. If the weather is 

 cold vegetation is slow, and it is not desirable to disbud at 

 that time, but when the weather is warm it should be more 

 closely followed up. Sometimes vegetation is early, and pro- 

 ceedswith great activity; but if a cold period follow, the par- 

 tially-developed leaves become almost stationary, and in that 

 state disbudding ought not to be practised ; for every leaf or 

 bud in process of development promotes the circulation of the 

 sap in its immediate neighbourhood, and to remove such, or 

 pinch back the shoot, must to some extent cause the circulation 



