Jnly 22, 1875. J 



JOUENA.L OF HORTIOOLTOBE AND OOTTAQB GABDENEB. 



65 



formed that at the Crystal Palace they were much finer than 

 at Exeter, and equal it not superior to those of the nursery- 

 men, whose trees are numbered, not by thousands or tens of 

 thousands only, but by hundreds of thousands. 



My friend Mr. Peaoh, in his capital article in the issue of 

 July 8th, asking for results, wishes to know whether the 

 greater amount of Roses in the amateur stands at the Crystal 

 Palace were not from out-back Roses. The above will show 

 him that the first prizes in every instance were so awarded, 

 with the exception above named of the class for twenty-four 

 Eoses at the Alexandra. '• Experlentia docct." I was in a 

 large Rose nursery the other day, and I asked the proprietor 

 what he thought of my article on cut-backs, and ho answered, 

 " I agree with every word of it, and have proved it over and 

 oyer again." 



I quite agree with Mr. Baker's advice as to growing both 

 maidens and cut-backs in order to have a succession, and I 

 can, alas ! bear startling testimony to the value of this rule. 

 This year I have relied entirely upon maidens, and have been 

 nowhere till last Friday, when I secured a first prize at Oxford, 

 and it was not till yesterday (July IJSth) that my Eoses were 

 fairly in bloom. All the shows were over before I had Roses 

 in bloom. My trees were growing in most wretched soil in a 

 very exposed situation, and the high winds and heavy rains 

 of the first part of June completely devastated them. If it 

 had not been for my Teas and a very few cut-backs I could 

 not have even cut blooms enough for a stand in any class. 

 This was a most fatal mistake on my part, and one I would 

 advise all to beware of. " Never put all your eggs in one 

 basket" is a good rule in Rose-growing; but if you cannot 

 help doing this — if from any cause you cannot find room for 

 both, then stick to the cut-backs. Remember Mr. Baker's 

 success in 1875 — nineteen first prizes at five shows. — John 

 B. M. Camu. 



SUMMER PBUNING.— No. 2. 



Apsicots are the first to require attention, and the wood of 

 these trees, it is hardly necessary to say, is, as far as the state 

 of the previous wood will permit, laid-in thicker than is prac- 

 tised with any other wall fruit ; but even this may be over- 

 done, 80 that we do not advise the shoots to be laid-in nearer 

 than 2 to 3 inches apart, and only those which have very short 

 joints are to be laid-in at that distance. The stronger shoots 

 ought to be at least 9 Laches apart, and between these the 

 Bhoi't-jointed and weaker wood, as also the spurs, which should 

 not be more than an inch or two long, but from continued 

 growth may have extended considerably. Those must be pre- 

 served, also securing the slender shoots to the wall so far as 

 can conveniently be done without crowding. If the shoots of 

 some standing are considerably extended, long and bare, with 

 only a tuft of leaves at their extremities, and not carrying 

 fruit, they may be cut out and others be laid-in in their place. 

 Any shoots required for extension should be laid-in, not 

 having them nearer than 9 inches, and they should be of the 

 strongest description, and nailed-in their full length. Shoots 

 which are not required should be cut back to two or three 

 leaves. This operation is best done with a pair of 4-iuch 

 pruning scissors ; they are handy, and may be easily carried 

 in the waistcoat pocket. Stronger scissors will be required 

 for strong shoots, they may be carried in the leathern nail- 

 and-shred bag. 



From the middle to the end of June, or the early part of 

 July in the north, is about the time Apricots require their first 

 Bummer pruning. After this the trees should be gone over 

 again at the end of July or early in August, cutting any 

 laterals back to one leaf, and if the strong shoots laid-in for 

 covering spae?, or the extension shoots have pushed laterals, 

 they should be cut to one leaf, any extension of growth being 

 secured to the wall. About every month or six weeks from 

 commencing to summer-prune, the trees should be gone over, 

 and attended to in stopping and training. It is no use allow- 

 ing the trees after the first stopping to become crowded with 

 laterals ; a few leaves of each successive growth are sufficient to 

 attract the sap and maintain the roots in a healthy, active 

 state, whilst their removal admits light and air to the fruit, 

 and secures in the highest possible manner the maturity of 

 the buds and wood upon which we are dependant for next 

 year's crop. 



Cherries will, next to Apricots, demand the attention of the 

 summer pruner. The operator will first see to the extension 

 shoots, and what are required for furnishing: and these being 



secured at the requisite distance apart — 1 foot for the strong 

 growers, and 9 inches for the moderate growers — and securing 

 them to the wall, will proceed to cut back all other shoots of 

 over 2 inches in length of the current year's growth to three 

 leaves, but not shorten the leading shoots or in anywise in- 

 terfere with the spurs. It is usual to lay-in the shoots much 

 closer than is named above, and it may be done upon the 

 understanding that they are to be removed when they interfere 

 with the spurs upon the principal branches. If the trees cover 

 their allotted space no shoots will be required to be laid-in, 

 unless, of course, there be vacant space, but they are to be 

 cut back to three leaves, and otherwise treated as foreright 

 or side shoots. 



The Morello Cherry is treated in a manner similar to 

 Apricots: All the side shoots available are laid-in, the foreright 

 shoots only being cut back to throe leaves, and all shoots not 

 exceeding 2 inches long being left entire. It is a mistake 

 to conclude that the Morello is not amenable to spur-prun- 

 ing. It bears as well upon close spur-praniug as in the laying- 

 in of the annual growths, which only tends to crowd the trees 

 with wood, and a quantity of it bare, without affording any 

 corresponding advantage over those which are spur-pruned. 

 Being of weaker growth than most sorts, the branches, spur- 

 pruning being practised, should not be more than 6 inches 

 apart. 



No tree is so prolific as a pyramid as the Morello Cherry. In 

 fact, all Cherries bear abundantly, especially the Duk-i and 

 Kentish kinds, in this form on the Mahaleb stock. The ope- 

 ration in pruning bush and pyramid Cherry trees consists in the 

 extension of the shoots suitable for filling up space and form- 

 ing symmetrical specimens, stopping them to 9 inches; but if 

 only a moderate extension be required stop them to 6 inches, 

 whilst if they be as large as required stop to three leaves — the 

 extremities as well as the shoots upon the main branches. 

 All shoots upon the branches to be cut back to three leaves, 

 but those not over an inch or two long are not to be 

 stopped. If the side shoots are not over '6 inches long they 

 need not be shortened, but left their full length; and the ex- 

 tremity and furnishing shoots not being more than an inch or 

 so longer than the lengths to which the stopping is advised, 

 do not for the sake of removing the extra inch apply the 

 scissors. Always be sure that the extremity bud in each case 

 is formed, for to take off the point of a shoot 10 inches long 

 when we only require it 9 inches, or shorten a 7-inoh shoot to 

 6 inches, is to cut away its, perhaps, only wood-bud, leaving 

 only fruit-buds below, and which after blossoming will drop 

 the fruit in a yeung state from there being no shoot above or 

 near to support it. Trees of this description need little or no 

 pruning, needing only irregularities corrected, and instead of 

 curtailing the growth they require feeding at the roots. The 

 main branches should be 9 inches to 1 foot distance apart. 



Very vigorous trees are to be kept well stopped, but not 

 more than above described. It will to some extent limit root- 

 action, and it will tend to the ripening of the wood ; but no 

 amount of summer pruning will bring a very vigorous tree into 

 fruitfulness ; its roots must be acted on, for which the stopping 

 is a good preparative. — G. Abbey. 



SILENE PENDULA. 



Autumn-sown annuals for spring decoration play an import- 

 ant part in the decoration of many gardens. This is the best 

 of the spring annuals, but, as is often the case with Myosotis, 

 the seed is frequently sown too late to produce plants to give 

 a satisfactory display. Too often are the Silenes sown in 

 September with the Nemophilas and other annuals, but that 

 is altogether too late. Sown at that period the plants have 

 not sufficient time to become stout before winter, which they 

 should be to flower early and profusely. 



The seed should be sown thinly in drills towards the end of 

 July, the seedlings eventually to be thinned out to 6 inches 

 apart. By the time the beds are cleared of the summer plants 

 the Silenes will be touching each other, and will take up with 

 large balls after the manner of Sweet WiUiams and other 

 biennials. Such plants planted closely together in the beds 

 bloom early and profusely, and give such masses of pink that 

 few plants can equal. "These stout plants are seldom injured 

 by frost, wet, or slugs, and are as certain to bloom as are the 

 Snowdrops. By directing timely attention to sowing the seed 

 of this the best of spring annuals I shall be doing a service to 

 some who CDvet a rich spring display, but who, through mis- 

 apprehension or forgetfulness, would fnU into the common 



