Decombor 18, 1866. ] 



JOURNAL OK HORTICULTURE AND COTTAOK gardener. 



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spread them out carefully, working in the soil botweon tho 

 several layors of roots. This being done, gently press the soil 

 over the roots, but not if it is wet, ami if ilry a good watering 

 will bo of service; then spread a rrralchmg of littery mannro 

 18 inches from the stom all round, and let it remain there till 

 spring, when it should be pointed in. Early in SRiren ia a good 

 time to do so. 



In selecting trees choose thoso bavin:, . ttan, stair, straight 

 stem, with side shoots near tho base, and eqn illy and ratber 

 plentifully distributed throughout the length of tho stem. 

 Trees which have spurs near the stem on the ide Bhfl its are to 

 be preferred, as it is easier to thin the trees than to furnish 

 them with spurs, when once the shoots are farmed long and 

 spurless. 



When the buds commence to swell the greatest vigilance 

 will have to bo exercised to keep the small birds, where plenti- 

 ful, from taking ont the centre of many of the buds. As a 

 preventive black worsted may be strung from branch to branch, 

 so as to envelope them in a net-like covering, having two-inch 

 meshes. This is tho best protection which I know. Should 

 the nights be frosty when the blossoms expand, a piece of thin 

 calico or tiffany thrown over the tree will be sufficient to pro- 

 toot the blossom from injury. 



After the fruit is set, if tho soil is light, a mulching of rich 

 compost an inch in thickness should be applied for a distance 

 of a yard around each tree. It may consist of eqnal parts of 

 rotten manure and turfy loam, and be repeated at monthly in- 

 tervals up. to August ; or it may be formed of equal parts of 

 any good unotuous loam and fresh horse or sheep droppings, 

 laid up and saturated with strong liquid manure or night soil. 

 Saturated in this manner twice, these ingredients, if laid in a 

 heap for three months, then turned and well mixed, will in 

 three months more form a rich and suitable compost for top- 

 dressings. For heavy soils top-dressings are less necessary than 

 for those which are light. During dry weather after the fruit 

 is set, up to September, a good soaking of liquid manure may 

 be afforded once a-week, which is better than many driblets, 

 and a copious watering and syringing in the evenings of hot 

 days will be of great benefit. In good soils a soaking of liquid 

 manure after the fruit begins to swell, and again during the 

 first dry weather in July, will mostly be sufficient, if the trees 

 have had one or more top-dressings of rich compost, with 

 occasional waterings in dry periods. The nature of the ground 

 and dryness of the season must be considered, and on this 

 account no definite rules for the application of water or liquid 

 manure can be laid down. Manure water may be formed of 

 1 lb. of guano to twenty gallons of water. 



Soils that are rich may not need top-dressing, as in such the 

 roots will penetrate to a sufficient depth, and to summer top- 

 dress the trees in their case will only serve to deprive the roots 

 of air and sun heat. About two quarts of soot strewed around 

 each tree in a circle, from 2 to 3 feet in diameter, early in 

 March, and allowed to remain undisturbed throughout the 

 summer, will prove of greater benefit than top-dressings where 

 the soil is rich and deep. 



The trees should not be allowed to carry more than half a 

 dozen fruit in the first year ; but in the following season a 

 dozen and a half will not be too many, and they may be per- 

 mitted to bear an additional dozen annually until they afford 

 for a good crop a peck of fruit, which will be about the sixth 

 year, ordinary-sized trees being planted. The trees will then 

 be II or 7 feet in height, and 5 to 6 feet in diameter at the base. 

 I do not v, ; h for larger trees in the open quarters, as then they 

 shade more grovmd than that on which they stand. 



By June shoots will he of sufficient length for stopping, 

 which should be done when they have made three leaves, then 

 take out their points at the third leaf, working downwards from 

 tho upper part of the tree until you reach shoots that are not 

 nearly so vigorous nor so long, and these must not be stopped 

 or pinched until they have formed six leaves', then pinch out 

 their points. A well-disposed shoot should be preserved as a 

 leader, and this may make six leaves, and th its point 



pinched out. Any shoots that come after that during the sea- 

 son are to have their points taken out above the .bird leaf of 

 the last growth, and this throughout the season. No knife is 

 needed, the finger and thumb will do all that is required, and, 

 better than all, no winter pruning is necessary except to re- 

 move irregular growths and thin out the branches where they 

 seem disposed to grow too closely to form a symmetrical head. 



The second year's treatment is simply a repetition of that 

 pursued during the first as to pinching or stopping, top-dress- 

 ing-, and watering. In the autumn of the first year the ground 



should be covered for 2 feet round the stem with a mulching of 

 littery manure, tho surface having been previously stirred or 

 loosened with a fork, yet not bo deeply a3 to disturb the roots, 

 which will be near the surface. 



In the autumn of the second year the trees will most likely 

 require lifting ; but this will be best indicated by their vigour 

 during tho summer, for should they grow so strongly as to re- 

 quire much pinching, it will be well to check their tendency to 

 do so by a judioious and careful lifting and root-pruning in 

 autumn. This is best performed when tho leaves begin to tail, 

 digging out a trench 15 or IS inches from tho stem, and lifting 

 the tree out of tho ground carefully with as much earth ad- 

 hering to the roots as possible. Any thick straggling roots 

 may be cut in to within 15 inches of the base of the tree, but 

 do not interfere with the fibres. If the soil is light and poor 

 some of the compost recommended fur top-dressing may be 

 plaeed in the hole, and the tiee planted with half a barrowful 

 of the same thrown over the roots in the process of replanting ; 

 but if the soil is so rich that the trees grow too vigorously it 

 will only be necessary to place some of the surface soil at tho 

 bottom of the hole, and fill in with the ordinary soil. Avoid 

 planting too deeply ; the tree should not be deeper than it was 

 before, and mulch around the stem with littery mannre for a 

 distance of 2 feet or more, or so as to cover the ground a foot 

 farther than the roots extend. This will protect the roots from 

 cold, and the transplantation being done early, they will make 

 progress during the autumn, and be ready in spring to sup- 

 port the blossom and fruit as well as those of trees that have 

 not been moved. 



The removal of tho trees in this manner will be necessary 

 every other year, if the soil be rich, and once in three years 

 after the first removal if it be light and poor. However, the 

 best criterion is the growth. When that becomes vigorous, and 

 can hardly be restrained by summer pinching, the trees should 

 be lifted in the following autumn. Biennial or triennial re- 

 moval is the only eligible method of keeping the roots out of 

 bad soil, and near the surface, where they can be fed by top- 

 dressings and liquid manure ; where the roots are long and 

 scantily furnished with fibres, and penetrate deeply into the 

 soil, or to a distance from the stem into a cold, ungenial me- 

 dium, the growths are correspondingly gross, long, and devoid 

 of spurs; whereas judicious lifting and root-pruning cause a 

 multiplication of fibres near the surface, and the trees bristle 

 with spurs and fruit-buds, the wood is well ripened, and the 

 fruit fine and highly coloured. If large trees are desired, then 

 root-pruning and lifting must not take place so often, but still 

 the trees may have wholesome checks by these means, when 

 they seem disposed to grow too vigorously. 'Whenever a tre e 

 makes much wood, and shows other evidences of becoming un- 

 fruitful, the tendency will be best overoome by lifting and root- 

 pruning in November, which may safely be performed until the 

 trees are twenty years old, and how much longer I am not in a 

 position to say. It should be borne in mind, that the less fre- 

 quently the operation is performed, the greater is the risk of 

 injury to the trees ; also that we must not allow trees to become 

 barren, and then expect to remedy the evil all at once. Trees 

 become unfruitful by degrees, and bringing them into a fruitful 

 state again is a task that must also be effected by degrees. 



By the sixth year, stopping annually as advised for the first 

 season after planting, the trees will be handsome bushes or 

 pyramids*7 or 8 feet in height, and nearly as much through at 

 their base or lower branches, and these being as large as they 

 need be, the trees in future seasons may have the shoots 

 pinched at the third leaf repeatedly in the course of the year. 



The above remarks all apply to trees that are presumed to 

 be of a fruitful size when planted, nice compact bushes or py- 

 ramids 4 feet in height set with bloom-buds. The formation of 

 the trees I shall treat of hereafter, and in conclusion, I would 

 recommend those having only a limited space, who wish 

 trees to come into bearing soon, and be handsome and prolific, 

 to give Pears on Quince stocks a fair trial, and I have no 

 fear of the result. I know nothing better calculated to interest 

 and please than Pear trees as bushes or pyramids on the 

 Quince. — G. Aeeey. 



(To bp continued.) 



MELONS. 



Tee observation of a dressmaker that " there was no 



so new as that which had been forgotten,'" is applicable to 



many other things besides fashionable attire. The eagerness 



with which your readers have accepted your kind offer of seeds 



