20 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



not turfed, in whicli to plant the tree, and to receive the support for 

 its branches. 



A strong young healthy plant in a pot is decidedly the best; and 

 when it has shed its leaves in vrinter, cut it down to within four 

 inches of the ground. Early planting will enable it to make some 

 new roots, and in the spring it will put up one or more young 

 shoots. As soon as these are observed, a neat stake must be firmly 

 fixed in the ground, on which to train them. I should prefer always 

 to take as many as four shoots up fromtbe bottom, but not to exceed 

 that number. And, if neatly and frequently trained straight up the 

 stake, they will in all probability grow high enougii to form the 

 compound stem the first year ; if they do not, they must be allowed 

 to remain without any further preparation for another year, or at 

 least until they have grown seven clear feet from the ground. 



When they have grown thus far, the frame on which to form the 

 head must be put in its place. It should be formed of one quarter 

 inch wire, at least eight feet over, in the shape of an umbrella, only 

 not so convex in form, and supported iu the centre by a stout oak 

 stake, six inches diameter at the ground level, and tapering to the 

 top to four inches in thickness. When this is completed, the young 

 growth in the winter should be headed back to the height of the 

 stake, which will induce more rods to spring out, and these must be 

 trained as near as possible at equal distances all over the wire frame, 

 and the next winter to be cut back again to within two feet of the 

 crown of the frame. This cutting back will induce the formation 

 of a greater number of shoots from each point htaded back, but 

 only one of these is wanted for the purpose of training over tlie 

 frame from each point. The others are to be constantly pinched 

 back, in the first place at six inches from the old wood, and then, 

 after it has grown a foot or two more, to the third bud from the 

 previous pinching. This constant heading back, as will be under- 

 stood by the experienced, causes the production of spurs, on which 

 the Wistaria always flowers ; and by securing these in the first in- 

 stance, at pretty nearly equal distances over the frame, we add not 

 only to the beauty, but also to the form of the tree. We might 

 cover the frame sooner by a couple of years if we were not to cut 

 back at all, but that would be at the risk of haviug a much less 

 number of flowering spurs, and those would be distributed unequally 

 over the frame. In every case it must be a work of time ; but 

 when the object is once attained by following the directions here 

 given, there will be no regrets at the time occupied to secure it. 



The cutting back at every two feet should be continued every 

 winter, and the same principle of pinching carried out during the 

 summer, as above advised, until the frame is covered down to the 

 outermost ring. The next summer's growth may then be trained 

 round the outer ring, and, if necessary, the cutting back and pinching 

 must be followed up until every vacant space is filled with flowering 

 spurs ; after which the tree may be said to be formed, and must be 

 left almost to itself. At all events, no further pruning or pinching 

 will be necessary, except to cut in any stray growth. But a3 much 

 as possible the young growth should be tied in, and always be 



