.1 Ulnar; 37, 1876. ) 



JODRNAIi OF HORTIGULTORE AND COTTAGE GAUDENER, 



77 



cartload of soil was taken from its roots and replaced with 

 rich mannre, and waa soaked with a barrel of very Btrong 

 " cowyarj tea" and sewage. The soaking waJ oontiuued 

 annually, and the tree put forth new branohos and new life, 

 and has sinee produced crops of highly-coloured and richly- 

 flavoured fruit. I have adopted the same plan with other old 

 trees — that is, I have removed their old scraggy brauDhe^, 

 cleaned the rest, and soaked their roots in winter or summer 

 with strong " stuff " with the greatest benefit to the trees — 

 thereby, I believe, lengthening not shortening their days. Mr. 

 Eobson will doubtless attribute this to the manure and not 

 the knife, and very likely he may be right, but I think that 

 the manure was guided into channels which would direct it 

 more expeditiously on its strengthening mission than would 

 have been its slower movement through innumerable snaggy 

 paths. 



But I have to grapple with my friend on grafting and killing 

 his tree. It appears that he expected it would succumb, and 

 preserved his new sorts by grafting them on other stocks, so 

 that after all it appears he might have saved the tree and the 

 new sorts too, but he preferred to kill. Probably the tree was 

 really too old to sntTer amputation, and especially in " forty 

 or fifty " places. Suppose he had amputated in three or four 

 places only — that is, have cut it boldly down to the main 

 forks, it very likely instead of dying would have pushed and 

 grown vigorously. I have seen that to be the case, while 

 trees treated as Mr. Robson has detailed, by topping them 

 as it were, have dwindled away. How is it ? I have seen 

 many grafts die, but rarely a healthy stock when out boldly 

 down. 



When a tree is apparently at a standstill it is because there 

 is not a sufficient force of sap to sustain vigour and make new 

 foliage. The roots have lost their propelling power by the too 

 numerous and still obstructed twisted channels dividing and 

 exhausting the sap, and to merely " top " the branches, leaving 

 the still impeded sap-courses, is to aggravate the disease. If 

 a given amount of water is distributed in fifty rills its course 

 will be sluggish, but confine it into one or two clear mains 

 and it will turn a wheel and grind corn. If that is a far- 

 fetched illustration I will adduce another " nearer home." 

 There are now plenty of large Fuchsias in pots which have 

 flowered last year ; they are denuded of their foliage, and are, 

 in fact, miniature deciduous trees. Simply top them — that is, 

 shorten each twig or branch moderately ; they will push freth 

 growth, probably sufliciently strong to produce the desired 

 amount of bloom by the aid of rich food. But cut some of 

 them boldly down — instead of mutilating in fifty places am- 

 putate in one — in fact, cat off their heads and clear away the 

 hundred sap-courses, thus concentrating the fluid, and note its 

 additional force. The after-growth will possess five, perhaps 

 tenfold greater vigour than will that of the daintily-pruned 

 plant, and the rule holds good with all plants and trees that 

 have the power of pushing dormant buds. 



Yet Mr. Rib son's is a very useful letter — most willingly do I 

 grant that, and I grant also that Apples are about the worst of 

 all fruit trees to endure mutilation, and it is often best to am- 

 putate, otherwise " let them alone." — Radical Conservative. 



NOTES ON VILLA, akd SUBURBAN GAEDENING. 



Pruning Apricots, Peaches, and Nectarines. — It is usual to 

 defer the operation nf pruning the above trees until all danger 

 from frost is over. It would require an exceptionally hard frost 

 to do the trees any porraanent injury by pruning tbem, and the 

 chief detriment would be at the places where the cuts were made. 

 No doubt to expose a tender portion of surface, such as a cut 

 would leave, in bard weatber would cause the wood to die back 

 an inch or two ; aud if, as in most cases, there is a wood bud 

 and perhaps also some fruit buds at the extremity, there is then 

 a direct loss upon what was intended at the time of pruning. 

 This is in itself a sufficient cause for delaying the pruning of 

 these somewhat tender trees till there is a proRpect of over- 

 coming the danger; and more especially do I think it proper or 

 safer to delay a little after seasons similar to the last, when the 

 wood was imperfectly ripened. 



The most sappy portions of unripcned shoots are apt to be 

 blackened bv the frost ; and if they are left at pruning time they 

 will disappoint by producing weakly and imperfect wood, and 

 the flower buds are liable to drop off, to be followed probably by 

 gumming aud canker. 



Now is the time at all events — unless exceedingly exceptional 

 hard weather sets in — that the pruning of these trees may be 

 done, beginning first with the Apricot, which is the hardiest of 

 them and the first to come into bloom. These trees produce 



much of their fruit on spurs of some years' growth, the trees also 

 fruiting ou the yearling shoots of moderate growth. The former 

 shuuld he spurred-in almost cloe(_-ly, and the latter should be 

 cut back according to their strength and to a wood bud, which 

 miy always be distinguished by its shape, which ia long and 

 uarrow, or pointed more than the fruit buds. lu Apricots the 

 huds are frequ'intly situated in threes — two bloom buds with 

 the wood bud iu the coutre; aud again, it is not unonmmou to 

 find a young shoot with few if any but wood buds. Th»re must 

 be care iu pruning or leaving these, for if they produce little else 

 but wood in the ensuing season no object is obtained, but the 

 strength of the tree is impaired by crowded growths. 



Iu pruning let the face of the cut be in an opposite direction 

 to the bud. It may not make so much difference if the cut ia 

 fmall, but if large the wet is carried into the bud and i[>jury 

 ensues. Leave the shoots at regular distancps, but study the 

 vigour and condition of the tree in every way; and if the tree 

 is weakly prune closely, and leave the shoots further apart than 

 would otherwise be the case. Nothing looks so bad as to see 

 the centre or body of the tree naked. It is scarcely possible to 

 rectify it in after years; the tree must be well started when 

 young, and the same system of pruning followed by whomso- 

 ever the work is done. 



In Peaches and Nectarines a closer inspection must be made 

 for the sound, ripened, and medium-sized wood. It is the 

 fashion to lay the shoots in too thickly, for there is a twofold 

 object in view — that is, to ensure good-sized, well-developed, 

 and well-ripened fruit, and also to leave plenty of room to lay- 

 in young growth to mature properly for carrying fruit the suc- 

 ceeding year. And again, it may not be wise to cou3emn a shoot 

 all at once, or to take out an old one till there is a certainty of 

 its place being supplied well by the succeeding one. These are 

 matters that must be left to the discretion of the cultivator. In 

 some parts of a tree there may not be so many shoots as are 

 required, and those shoots that are there should be pruned well 

 back if weak, but if strong a greater length may be allowed 

 them ; and in order that the tree should look well and be placed 

 in the best way of filling up all parts alike, let a regulation of its 

 branches take place by the tree being unfastened from the wall 

 and re-nailed. Some do this every year, but in my case and 

 many others there is not time to do it annually, but only when 

 it is really necessary. — Tuomas Record. 



DOINGS OP THE LAST AND WORK FOR 

 THE PRESENT WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Saving Seeds. — It is no part of the duty of the gardener to 

 save seeds, nor is it profitable to do so. This work is now so 

 well performed by the principal seedsmen, and the seeds can 

 be obtained at such a trifling cost true to name, that it is not 

 worth while to occupy space in the garden with them, and the 

 ripening stalks cause the garden to look untidy. Although we 

 do not recommend either gardeners or amateurs to save their 

 own seeds, there may be exceptions to this in the case of those 

 who are in posseseion of any new or rare vegetables, or some 

 favourite sort that cannot be obtained in the usual way. It will 

 not do to grow too many different varieties, especially of allied 

 species; for instance, it would not be possible to save seeds of 

 different members of the Brassica tribe in the same garden if 

 they were in flower at the same time, and yet keep them free 

 from contamination. A particular variety of Celery has been 

 saved at Loxford for many years, and the stock has been kept 

 true by selection. The plants intended for feed are planted out 

 on level ground in a sheltered position ; about two plants will 

 yield a supply of seeds for several years. One sometimes meets 

 with a selection of Cabbage, Savoy, &c., in a cottager's garden 

 that the best commercial growers would be glad to obtain. The 

 selection has been brought about by years of care, and it is a 

 work of real pleasure to the owner to give a few seeds to hia 

 friends. If it is intended to save seeds of any cruciferous 

 plants only one variety should be attempted iu the same garden. 

 Plants of the variety intended for seeds should be selected now 

 and planted cut in a good position, although it is right to say 

 that the largest produce is obtained from stocks planted in the 

 autumn. The seedsmen have driven us to save our own seeds 

 the first season by charging at the high rate of 60s. a quart for 

 their Peas in some cases. 



As the Celery is cleared off, the ground is dug, and with- 

 out any manuring is in excellent tilth for Onions ; the ground 

 should be dug across the trenches. As Coleworts are cut for 

 use the eround is trenched and well manured for Peas and 

 Beans. We have tried many varieties of the latter, but none 

 bae been found at all equal to our own stock of Windsor. The 

 Seville Long Pod will be tried against it this year, and however 

 this sort may be received in the kitchen it is certainly the best 

 variety for exhibition. The pods are immense. 



Tomatoes have been sown in heat of Hathaway's Excelsior 

 and Orangefield Dwarf Prolific. This last-named sort has done 

 us good service for pot culture every year since it has been let 



