August 5, 1868. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



97 



mark the diatinction between the past and tlie present, or, in otiier 

 ■words, between the expressions given by the two kinds of soil. Wo 

 have hero a change, resistance has given way, circnmstanecs are com- 

 pletely altered, au effect of a very decided' character has been pro- 

 daced. Now the ijaestiou ai-isos, and often repeats itself, '' What is 

 thecanse?" Not by any possibility can it exist in the general mau- 

 agement, as there has been no variation, neither has any occurred in 

 the arrangement of the border materials, the same principle having 

 been adopted throughont. 



I now feel satistied I cannot evade the conclusion, the fact is forced 

 npon me, that the caustic property of the lime has worked all the mis- 

 chief ; and that the nearer it approaches to a state of carbonate, the 

 more fatal the effect. Moguesian lime is the worst we have to deal 

 with, as it retaiuB its cansticity longer than any other kind. 



Having succeeded in my esertiona so far, I nest applied sllicions 

 BOil mixed with a third part of manure, for the growth of our pot 

 Grapes. Without entering into minute details, which are the property 

 of every gardener, it will be suiiiLient to notice that the quality of the 

 fmit was equally satisfactory, and as a guarantee I may note that a 

 Vine of the Alicante, one year from a single eye, matui-ed 18 lbs. of 

 excellent Grapes. These results encouraged me to proceed a step 

 farther ; I had the eaj*th removed a foot deep from the borders made 

 of calcareous soil, and replaced by silicions soil, on the supposition 

 that it might to some extent act as an improver. Although the roots 

 ■worked amongst it freely, and have been doing so for some years past, 

 I have not been able to discover that it has produced any advantage. 

 There is one caution to be observed in the selection of silicious soil — 

 namely, that it is frequently to be met "with, and sometimes to a con- 

 aderable extent, mixed with oxide of iron, which should be avoided. 

 Whatever opinions are held or may bo formed by gardeners on this 

 subject, the red sandstone soil with me, for the gro^svth of the Grape 

 Vine, has long become a settled article of belief. In making this 

 declaration, I do not exclude soil from other geological formations, I 

 only offer a protest against the presence of calcareous matter. 



A writer of considerable reputation has strongly recommended soil 

 from igneous rooks, bnt of this I have had no experience. Nothing, 

 perhaps, stimulates inquiry, and gives wings to thought so much as to 

 feel ourselves probed by the sting of defeat ; perception becomes more 

 penetrating, and the range of ideas more extensive. So, in debating 

 this matter, it occurred to me that I had always seen Grapes, produced 

 from the limestone, of a very inferior quality, and froln the chalk the 

 sample was even worse. Without penetrating into the cause further 

 than mere external observation, I withont hesitation placed the entire 

 blame on the shoulders of the gardener. But I have lived long enough 

 to admit that I was ■wrong, and to -withdraw so false a charge. 



There may be few, still there are some, gardeners who believe that 

 a successful career of Grape culture depends upon the observance of a 

 system of set rules more than anything else, and when these fail to 

 produce what was anticipated, what do they do next? Why, sub- 

 missively wait on Providence to help them. 



What is generally understood as mere practice has long ago yielded 

 all the sound information it ever had or can possess. Shall we then 

 continue to submit to the dictation of what is effete and powerless ? 

 Shall we perpetrate the folly of threshing the same straw over and over 

 again, and winnowing the same old chaff? No ! by no means, if we 

 are to make progress. We must shunt out of so narrow a groove, we 

 most take hold of pi-inciples, and learn from them how to make a 

 successful application of that description of food best adapted to certain 

 classes, or to individual plants. At the present time the mode in which 

 many inorganic substances act is very imperfectly understood, and 

 must of necessity remain so until the oflHce they perform in nutrition 

 is clearly ascertained. 



There is no reason why we should continue to remain uninformed 

 on this point any more than on the subject of those comjilex matters 

 that go to build up the animal system. For this purpose analytical 

 tables have been prepared, which direct us to select those aliments 

 •which furnish muscle, bone, and blood, or indeed all that is necessary 

 to build up and sustain whatever belongs to the composition of the 

 living body. And again, let us observe with what exactitude the 

 chemist prepares his medicines, and how, by an accurate knowledge of 

 their action upon different parts and organs of the human system, the 

 skilled physician is enabled, either to cure disease or lessen the pangs 

 of suffering. The question may be asked and answered in this way : — 

 Xb the science of horticultuie to be kept below its legitimate status — are 

 we to plod on as heretofore in a hazy atmosphere — are "we to allow our 

 operations to be governed by something little short of haphazard? 

 Certainly not ; our profession is as much entitled to rank as highly as 

 any other department in science. We ought to he able to exercise as 

 much control over the vegetable kingdom as the physician does over 

 the animal kingdom. 



I do not say that gardeners must of necessity become learned 

 cdiemists, or vegetable physiologists, the bare supposition would be an 

 absurdity. What we do want is a recognised authority to whom we 

 may apply to have our soil analysed at a moderate charge, which 

 ■would be a practical beneiit to the entire community. 



To show that soil possesses a greater influence than we are at all 

 times willing to admit, we shall suppose a case, and the supposition is 

 qnite correct — viz, that one, two, three, or more of our best Grape- 

 growers, persons whose success has been uniform on some particular 

 iind of soil, we may name the purely silicious, were removed to the 



calcareous districts, it will he found that the quality of their produce 

 will differ widely, even although all other circumstances are the same. 

 I would then suggest, that the soil on which iirst-class Grapes are 

 grown should be analysed and the result published. This wonld 

 inform us coixectly of the properties that operate so favourably, and 

 be a guide to others while making a similar selection. Some may 

 question my statement. Still, I hold the fact firmly, that our achieve- 

 ments, no matter how great or small, depend more on the quality of 

 the soU we use than on anything else, and consequently place every 

 intelligent gardener much on the same level. 



It would be both interesting and exceedingly useful, did the natnre 

 of this discussion and the limits assigned me permit, to give a descrip- 

 tion of those trees and plants that require time for the proper matura- 

 tion of their fruit, and those to which it is injurious ; success and failure 

 have more to do with these points than we are at all times aware of. 



The office perfoi-med by inorganic natnre in the vegetable system 

 has never been clearly ascertained, at least it has never been fully 

 explained, hut has given rise to vague speculations that confuse rather 

 than instruct, and breed a vast amount of contention. 



In conclusion, I would state how desirous I am to see the time when 

 science and practice shall mingle together, and not till then can we 

 acquire the key that opens the door of legitimate progression. How- 

 ever much we may neglect the observance of the fact, whether through 

 ignorance or from any other cause, au immutable law reigns, which 

 governs animated as well as inorganic substances. It pervadrs the 

 world — there is no place where its power does not act — there is nothing 

 beyondthereachof itsindaence. — Alexander Chamb, Tortvjorth Court, 



ON THE PRUNING OF FRUIT TREES AS AFFECTED 



BY SOIL, CLIilATE, STOCKS, &c. 



Fruit trees are, it is to be presumed, mainly cultivated for the sake 



of their fruit, consequently the chief object of the cultivator should 



be directed to its production ; and much may be accomplished towards 



this end by a rational system of pmning 



The judicious pruning or non-pruning of fruit trees is an all- 

 important question, far more important than that of training, with 

 which it is frequently confounded. Training is the producing of form — 

 an ornamental part of the business, and is at times rather antagonistic 

 to producing fmit. Eat pruning. whUst necessary for training, is 

 chiefly performed for the sake of securing fmit. To prune a fruit 

 tree is a vei^ different thing from pruning any other sort of ti-ee, inas- 

 much as the production of fruit is much more difficult than that of 

 timber, or merely ornamental form. It is, indeed, easy to grow a tree 

 and prune it so that it may assume any desired form or size. This is 

 merely a question of time, and of the careful adherence to some given 

 rules or pre-arranged plan; hut to make that tree produce good fruit 

 in large quantity, and of good quality, requires the exercise of mnch 

 more skill and knowledge. To do this, however, is the office of the 

 pruncr, and by proceeding judiciously he may accomplish it. 



To lay down any definite roles for guidance in fruit-tree pruning, 

 beyond the broadest general principles, is impossible, for in practice 

 [ we have so many variations of soil, climate, subjects, and even stocks, 

 I to deal with, all exerting considerable influence, that no given mles 

 I can be strictly followed. That which may he proper or advantageous 

 for trees on one soil, situation, district, &c., may in another case be 

 , found totally impracticable. Further, also, a great deal depends on 

 the time of pruning, and the manner of the operation. According to 

 the amount of foliajje duly exposed and properly developed, the growth 

 of the tree advances ; therefore, althongh the reduction of any part 

 of a tree on which leaves are produced may diminish the rate of in- 

 crease on the plant generally, yet through its removal the parts left 

 increase more rapidly, in consequence of having a greater supply of 

 sap at their disposal, and of their leaves being more fully exposed to 

 the influence of light. Therefore to prune judiciously is not only ad- 

 vantageous, hut in fruit culture it is indispensable. 



To prune a tree is to cut off a portion of its stem, or parts of its 

 branches, and the object to be attained is the regulation of the vege- 

 tation of the plant. The immediate effect (it may be repeated) of 

 pruning, or the cntting-off of any portion of a plant, is to cause a 

 greater supply of sap to flow towards the parts which are itft. Thus, 

 if a tree is growing vigorously and making strong unfruitful shoots, 

 the effect of pruning it back severely in winter is to increase its ■vigour 

 instead of weakening the tree. All winter pruning, or pruning after 

 active vegetation has ceased, results in producing greater vigour in a 

 plant ; therefore a Wgorons healthy-growing tree requires less pruning 

 than a weakly-growing one 



A special point to be aimed at in fruit culture is equality of growth, 

 and thereby uniformity of action, throughout all the component parts 

 of the tree. The most unfruitful of all trees are those in which one 

 portion is allowed to have a great ascendancy over the others. The 

 stronger portions of these have then to be repressed, and the weaker 

 portions encouraged, which ■will promote unifonnity of growth. Ex- 

 cessive vigour is, however, nndesuable, as trees in that condition bear 

 but a small quantity of fruit ; yet it is possible for a tree to be to 

 weak, and to produce too many email fruits, as well as to be too 

 vigorous and unlruitful. 



There may be said to be two distinct styles of pruning — viz., market 

 garden or orchard pruning, and gentleman's garden or trained-tree 

 pruning. The one is necessarily very different from the other. In 



