Febrnarj S, 1874. J 



JOUBNAL OP HOBTICULTUEB AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



117 



The results there stated as being the produce of what is gene- 

 rally termed a planting cane grown iu a 10-iuch pot aro a 

 sufficient guarantee of the good properties of this variety. 

 At any rate, the weight (8 J lbs.), and quality considered 

 worthy of being placed on an exhibition table, are enough to 

 stamp Dr. Hogg Grape as one of the best recent introductions, 

 and one which I think Mr. Pearson, of Chilwell, has great 

 reason to be proud of bringing before the public. 



From the description given by"J. W. 0.," it is quite evi- 

 dent that we may expect something from the variety in ques- 

 tion when stronger Vines are grown. I was appointed one of 

 the judges at a local show, and there, for the first time, saw 

 this splendid (irape. On turning to my note-book I find that 

 the dish of Dr. Hogg received the highest number of points 

 given for White Grapes, with the following remarks : — Bunches 

 12 inches long, tapering ; berries well set, of good size and 

 excelleut flavour. If " J. W. 0." will allow me to take away 

 the latter initial, and substitute Osberton iu its place, I think 

 it would have more influence with the readers of The Joubnal 

 OF HoRTicoLTnEE. I am led to make the above observation 

 by the fact that the Grapes which came under my notice were 

 products from those noted gardens, of which I think ere long we 

 shall hear more in the way of Grapo and other fruit-growing. 

 — Josh. Jefferson, Carlton House Gardens, Worksop. 



THE 4PPLE, AND HOW TO PRUNE AND 

 TRAIN IT. 

 What is " to prune ? " To prune is to out off or otherwise 

 sever a limb or branch of a tree, and the object sought to be 

 obtained thereby is the regulation of the vegetation of the plant. 

 In the pruning of fruit trees we have a double object in view — 

 first, the formation of the plant whilst in its young and grow- 

 uig state, according to some pre-arranged style or form ; and 

 secondly, inducing that plant to produce good crops of fruit. 

 The treatment required for the one is necessarily quite distinct 

 from that needful for the attainment of the other object, and 

 will therefore be considered separately. 



In pruning as applied to training, it may in the first place 

 be remarked that the immediate effect of pruning or the cut- 

 ting-off of any portion of a plant is the concentration of a 

 greater supply of sap in the parts that are left — that is, the 

 sap wiien it commences to flow, instead of having to be spread 

 over the whole, is then all concentrated in the parts that are 

 left. Hence by pruning we secure greater vigour and a stronger 

 growth. This is more immediately applicable to winter prun- 

 ing, or pruning after active vegetation has ceased. The result 

 of all such pruning, it may be repeated, is to produce ijreater 

 vigour. In this way, therefore, are we able to regulate by 

 judicious pruning the growth of our trees. Be it understood 

 that these remarks on pruning refer to cutting to buds that are 

 in a condition to put forth shoots, and not to the amputation 

 of limbs, as may be at times necessary as well. Bearing this 

 in mind, therefore, it is apparent that if we want a particular 

 tree or shoot to grow strongly we ought to prune it severely, 

 and if a weak growth only is required then our pruning has to 

 be reversed. Let us take, for example, two shoots on the same 

 tree of the same season's growth, the one several feet iu length 

 and strong like a Willow, the other a weakly shoot of a few 

 inches. The ordinary and natural plan is to cut the strong 

 shoot back to the same length as the weaker, which is not 

 pruned at all. This at the time of pruning gives the tree a 

 uniform sort of appearance, but it is altogether wrong and 

 extremely injurious. The weaker shoot should be pruned back 

 BO as to compress its forces on a few buds and induce it to put 

 forth a stronger shoot, which it will assuredly do ; and the 

 strong shoot should be left at nearly its entire length, and, its 

 forces being spread over many buds, it naturally breaks more 

 weakly. In this way, by judicious pruning, we are able to 

 encourage or repress the growths of our trees almost at plea- 

 sure, and so train or mould our trees to whatever particular 

 shape or form our fancy may dh-ect. 



We prune our fruit trees in the first place for the training 

 or formation of the plant, and we so train or form our fruit 

 trees that they shall produce fruit. Now, it is of paramount 

 importance in the production of a full crop of fruit that all 

 the component parts of the tree be of equal constitution 

 and vigour. If one shoot or branch be weak and the other 

 strong, the whole strength in a short time, unless checked by 

 judicious pruning, is absorbed by the strong shoot, and the 

 result is not only an irregular but an unfruitful tree. The 

 importance of pruning, therefore, as regards training is not 



simply the ultimate form of the plant, but so to guide or direct 

 its forces that the whole shall be equally distributed over every 

 part of the tree. 

 To make my remarks and instructions clearly understood 

 I shall give illustrations of 

 the more particular acts of 

 pruning and training at pre- 

 sent practised. 



Fig. 1 may be taken to repre- 

 sent a young or dwarf maiden 

 Apple tree as it is called, just 

 as it may be received from the 

 nursery. It is the fashion now 

 in this fast-living age to plant 

 maiden fruit trees — i.e., one- 

 year-old grafted trees, that 

 have made only one growth 

 from the bud or graft, and 

 have not been pruned or ma- 

 nipulated upon in any way by 

 the nurseryman. We plant 

 such trees now, and have them 

 in bearing long before it was 

 even dreamed of sending them 

 out of the nursery a few years 

 ago. The fashion was to have 

 trained trees and " cut-backs " 

 so many times, in the belief • 

 that no one out of a nursery 

 could perform such an action, 

 I propose to explain all this 

 from the beginning. 



Let us suppose, therefore, 

 that this tree is planted in the 

 ground and has been planted 

 there for some while, and now, 

 February, it is time to prune it. 

 In the pruning of this maiden 

 shoot for the first time we, in 

 a measure, start or lay the foun- 

 dation of the future tree. It is 

 therefore necessary to bo par- 

 ticular and to determine be- 

 forehand what form shall be 

 adopted. It may be laid down, 

 in the first place, that no fruit- 

 bearing shoot should be grown 

 Fig. 1.— Maiden Apple tree as received lower than 9 inches from the 

 from the nursery, showing the lixst ground, but this can be varied 

 cut in pruning, a, GraJt. if required. In pruning, there- 



fore, for a low bush form we should prune to the third bud 

 above the 9 inches, or above the mark where we wish the lowest 



Fig. 2.— Pruned as intended for a single cordon, two-thirds of its length. 

 a, Graft. 



branch to come from. From this cut we obtain three shoots 

 all of about equal strength, which form the groundwork of 

 the future bush. For a pyramid tree the same style of pruning 

 is required, or perhaps, if the tree is strong, some five buds 

 may be left beyond the lowest limit, the top bud in this case 



