344 VILLA GARDENING r.vRT iv 



and would rather spread the produce of his trees over a consider- 

 able period than have too much at once, then, I say, grow them in 

 pots. I know no better way of testing a man's abilities than in 

 placing imder his care a house full of potted fruit-trees. There 

 will, of course, be Peaches and Nectarines, and perhaps Apricots, 

 thougli they do better in a house by themselves where they can be 

 kept cool and have abundant ventilation. Plums and Cherries 

 should be included, as they do well in pots. One of the evils of 

 the system is the crowding of too many trees into one small house, 

 though there is less danger to be apprehended if the trees are 

 thinned out in good time. The Plums, for instance, or some of 

 them, may be moved to a sheltered place out-of-doors when the 

 fruits are set. Watching over the plants, moving this or that tree 

 to a better position, or transferring another to a sunny spot in the 

 open air — carrying out small things which cannot be put down on 

 paper, and originate in the active mind only — are the operations 

 which lead to real success. Again, in the watering of 



Trees in Pots, incessant watchfulness and care are required, 

 for the sins both of commission and omission have to be guarded 

 against. If we trace the career of a potted Peach-tree in its 

 relation to watering-pots through one season, we shall see some 

 of the difficulties of the work. When brought into the house 

 the pruning and cleansing should be done before any buds have 

 swollen much. It is best to operate in January, just as the buds 

 are beginning to move, as this enables the primer to discover the 

 wood buds which he wishes to cut back to. If the summer pruning 

 is rightly done, there will not be much to do now beyond a little 

 shortening, the removal of snags, and trimming scars which may 

 have been left from the summer work. Whether to plunge the 

 pots or not may be left an open question to be decided by those 

 interested. A tree with its pot plunged will not require so much 

 water, and the roots will be less exposed to changes of temperature. 

 On the other hand the unplunged trees have the benefit of the 

 solar warmth playing round their roots, and if they require more 

 water there are plenty opportunities of conveying gentle stimulants 

 to the roots to swell off and nourish the fruit. The fruit of un- 

 plunged trees in careful liands is of sujierior flavour. Fruit growing 

 is a many-sided business ; it has to be looked at from so many 

 different points of view, that a veiy good case might be made out 

 both for and against the culture of trees in pots. From lack oi 

 the power to gi'asp minute details many have failed, whilst others, 

 possessing that most valuable faculty (which has been called the 

 spirit of genius) of "taking pains," have succeeded without en- 

 countering much difficulty. In the culture of trees in pots it is 



