General Notices. 409 



These broad distinctions must of course be kept in view at all times. 

 Again, even in one family — for instance, the apple — one kind vi'iW bear the 

 finest fruit on the last year's wood ; and the fructification of such wood is 

 in proportion to the amount of grossness. An illustration of this will be 

 found in the Mank's Codling. The nonpareil class, on the contrary, gen- 

 erally produces on the spur. 



I am now, however, treating of over-luxuriance as an evil. This forms 

 the rule and requires most elucidation. To return, then, to my point of di- 

 gression, the removal of all the over-luxuriant spray about midsummer will 

 be found to control, in a very powerful degree, the undue action of the root. 

 Some of the embryo fruit-buds may be excited into wood, especially in 

 showery weather ; this, however, must be borne; for those that remain 

 unexcited will be found much strengthened, and to develope a much more 

 perfect blossom in the ensuing spring. We frequently see imperfectly 

 formed blossoms on tender fruit trees in the spring ; and why 1 because the 

 embryo blossom-bud never received its necessary amount of light during its 

 organization. It is not so much heat of which an increased amount is 

 requisite, but light. Some good-natured country folks think this is carry- 

 ing an idea too far ; rather too philosophical, they think. The writer, 

 however, with all due respect, thinks diiferently. Instance the melon : it 

 is very probable that the Persian melons enjoy as much light in one day in 

 their own climate, as those in the murky skies of Britain do in a week. To 

 be sure, a bright sunny day in our own climate is light enough for anything, 

 but behold how many cloudy, drizzly, or rainy days, may be placed against 

 such a state of weather. The tender incipient buds of fruit-trees, natives 

 of brighter skies, become what is technically termed " drawn" when 

 smothered with young spray, and hence the abortions and malformations of 

 the succeeding spring. A midsummer's disbudding will not, however, 

 complete all that is necessary ; a stopping in addition is, in most cases, 

 necessary ; 1st, it seems to concentrate the powers of the tree, thereby 

 producing fruit of a larger character; 2d, it tends to equalize strength in 

 trained trees, provided the most luxuriant alone are stopped; 3d, it tends 

 to ripen the individual shoot acted on ; and 4th, it exercises a farther amount 

 of control over the wayward root ; which, in the case of the peach or nec- 

 tarine, frequently impels the young shoots to a September growth. I need 

 scarcely urge that such cannot possibly benefit the tree. 



The vast difference, therefore, between a course of summer's pruning, 

 and that of the winter, should be kept steadily in view by young aspirants 

 in fruit culture. A severe winter's pruning excites to wood ; that of the 

 summer ultimately checks such a tendency. Our spur-bearing fruits are in 

 general much injured by succulent spray ; and it should be borne in mind 

 that the wall tree receives in the main less light in the aggregate than the 

 ordinary espa'ier. This may appear a very disputable matter to some per- 

 sons ; but I feel persuaded that such is the case, more especially when we 

 consider that the root in the former case is generally so placed as to receive 

 a greater amount of nourishment, — that is to say, in proportion to the 

 amount of perspiratory surface of leaf. The ordinary standard grows, 

 VOL. XIV. — NO. IS. 35 



