48 



JOUEKAL OP HORTICULTORE AND COTTAGE GAIUJEXER. 



[ JaniuiT IS, iaC6. 



No. 18.) In the open air, however, the first summer ftoppiiiK 

 is made at four good leaves, as soon as six are developed ; iiud 

 second growtlis are stopped at two leaves, as soon as four more 

 are growu. This gives us more freedom and secures junctiou- 

 buds, and also the triple groups below them. This is described 

 in No. 17. 



This style of stopping to four leaves is also the best for 

 diagonal cordons on the back walls of orchard-houses when 

 single, and, therefore, at about 15 inches' interval. If planted 

 at 12 inches' interval between the leaders (being double or 

 triple), then stopping to A inches may be advisable. Even 

 then, in mimy cases, four leaves may be left with advantage, 

 especially at the base. We have thus one single system of 

 Bnmmer Btoi>pinp adapted to orchard-houses, and to trees on 

 the open wall. It will now be seen, also, that the winter regu- 

 lation of the shoots can bo conducted without any more dis- 

 tinction between house and open wall. 



Keourring, then, to the classification of the shoots, it may be 

 laid down as a lixed rule, that Classes .'>, (i, and 7, should never 

 be touched at the winter pruning. (See No. '.>. Vol. VIII. p. :!.S(i.| 

 Class 5, or the cluster-spur, is a perfect type, able to bear, and 

 also to extend by means of its central leaf-bud. It is found 

 in abundance on trees in pots, and on all kinds of cordons on 

 ■walls. It is the mainstay of the close-pruning system. Finx. 5, 

 2(1, and 21, in support of this view, are photographed. On the 

 shoots of dingonal-cordons of a certain iigc, this class is most ' 

 common. In fo/. 

 22, all marked d, a 



are cluster -spurs, 

 or " bouquets de 

 Mai ," as the French 

 call them. Class 0, 

 is the same spur 

 after bearing. (Sec 

 yifi. 0, No. i).) A 

 httle practice will 

 enable the pnmer 

 to recognise it, and 

 as it is short and 

 has a terminal leaf- 

 bud, it must be left 

 imtouched now, so 

 as to make a new 

 shoot during the 

 summer. Of course, 

 all below this 

 growth will be bare 

 for ever, but this 

 is not of much con- 

 sequence, as is evi- 

 dent in ji(i. 22, 

 where c shows its 

 relative length and 

 position. Class 7, 

 or fruis-spr.ay, is 

 alfo a valuable type 

 of shoot, very common in close pruning. In,rf.'7. 7, (No. 11), and 

 in Jin. 22, where it is marked a, we have examples of this 

 class, latiji. 20 (Xo. 1«), it is also seen, the engraving being 

 taken from n photograph ; it has a terminal leaf-bud, and can 

 bear, having single Ijlossom-buds. If it had no wood-bud close 

 to its base, it might not be so useful, but it generally has. 

 Whenever, however, it occurs in the centre of bush trees in 

 pots, it will then be found to be too long and liable to become 

 straggling ; in fact, too like Class 8. It may, but only in this 

 case, be cut out, otherwise when it occurs in close priming it 

 should be retained as much as possible. 



Class 8, fill. 8, page 380, is barren spray, or "chiffon," as 

 Dubreuil calls it, an unsatisfactory class of shoot, which had 

 better be suppressed whenever no great gap is caused thereby. 

 Bush trees in pots are frequently ruined by such shoots, and 

 they indicate neglect of summer stopping, or weakness of the 

 tree from want of air, /cc. This type has single blossom-buds, 

 but no terminal leaf-buds, hence its name. 



Class 2, fill. 2, page 324, fruit-shoot of the ordinary character. 

 In long pruning it is seen of almost .any length ; but in close 

 pruning the beautiful shoot shown in/i,'?. 21 is what we should 

 prefer to see. In this case, being only about from 4 to (\ inches 

 in length, we may allow it to remain untouched at the winter 

 pruning, and cut it close in to the one or two wood-buds seen 

 at its base, after it has produced fruit. Wlien longer it then 

 becomes useful to form a new branch, and thus C3a--es to have 



the distinctive character of the shoot seen iu jig. 21. Class 3, 

 or the mixed shoot, is also common in yonng trees, and useful 

 to sha])e them. AVhencvcr, then, either of tbceo types occur 

 as extensions of any fonn of tree, they should not be thortened 

 after the first year or so. In close pruning wo soon cease to 

 think of them as shoots, and rather incline to regard them as 

 useful to bear the shorter ones only. 



Class 1, jiri. 1, page 324, Pure AVood-shoot. Naturally in- 

 clined to grow long, and haring a few feeble blossom-buds at 

 its extremity. Seen iu yomig trees, and also in the extensions 

 of older forms, and only useful in tliis respect, as laying the 

 foundation of riper wood. 



Class 4, jij. 4, page 32.'), the Gross Shoot, or " gourmand " 

 of the French. A vigorous development of Class 1. Useful 

 to form young trees quickly, but to be carefully watched in 

 older forms lest the tree be thrown out of balance. As the 

 main stem of a healthy pyramid in the border, or in the case 

 of a fan-shaped tree on the wall, where it is preferred not to 

 divide the tree into two wings, much progress is made by it. 

 It is readily known by its darker colour, the smallne.^s of the 

 leaf-buds, and the premature laterals thrown out at the upper 

 portions. In close pruning, however, all these natur.illy long 

 shoots become, practically, only useful to form the tree, while 

 the naturally shorter shoots are retained to bear the fruit. By 

 allowing the branches to remain at full length after the first or 

 second season, and by Uie close summer stopping of the shoots, 



we increase this 

 distinctive charac- 

 ter, and thus re- 

 tui-n to first prin- 

 ciples. 



Although more 



regular forms are 



desirable, there is 



no reason why irre- 



B gular fan - shaped 



trees should not 

 bear well when 

 closely pruned. In 

 some cases this 

 form mav be even 



the best adapted, 

 and, no doubt, 

 much advantage is 

 gained by having a 

 biennial supply of 

 young and healthy 

 wood. Gaps made 

 by unskilful prim- 

 ers luav . thus be 

 filled up. Vi!j. 22, 

 however, clearly 

 shows how it is 

 possible to have 

 regularly disposed 

 branches, and, at 

 the same time, to preserve the spurs on them for many sea- 

 sons without recourse to amputations or fresh wood. In this 

 specimen, drawn from nature from a diagonal cordon about 

 ten years, old it is evident tliat the double spur is as old as 

 tlie parent tree, and this without being more than a few- 

 inches in length or half an inch in diameter. The left spm- 

 bears the marks of numerous suppressions of former shoots. 

 It retains two of these three or four seasons old, and only 

 respectively 1 inch and 2 inches long. On the upper one are 

 the cluster spur b and the fruit spray a ; on the lower one is 

 another cluster u, and tliis same type after bearing, c. Spring- 

 iug from the very base is a pure wood shoot i>, which has been 

 cut back to two wood-buds to form succession shoots. The spur 

 on the right is not so thick as its fellow, but also shows marks of 

 work. It bears throe fruit sprays A and four cluster spurs B. 

 Also at its base we find a shoot having groups of triple buds 

 (class 2|, and cut back above the lowest of these groups. This 

 shoot is cut back for the same pur))oso as that marked d, and 

 is itself marked E. It is, therefore, quite evident that the 

 whole of the two aged spurs might be cut ciT after bearing, 

 leaving some four or five new shoots springuig from D and E. 

 These spurs and their beautiful fruit-bearing shoots thus seen, 

 are really a triumph of close pruning. No one can reasonably 

 doubt that there is a promise of abundant fruit here, lying 

 close to the wall, and produced by a type allowed to be that 

 which bears the very largest Peaches. It would not be at all 



