SEPTEMBER. 



691 



SEPTEMBER. 



the ligature that binds the bud should be 

 slackened, so that the growth of the shoot 

 may not be hindered by its tightness ; and 

 if the wild shoots from the stock itself 

 happen to be growing very freely, they 

 may be shortened back to, say ten 

 leaves from the bud itself, supposing the 

 bud to be still dormant. Late briers may 

 yet be budded. 



A'oses, Ciittings of. Cuttings taken and 

 inserted in August will now be rooting, 

 and may be freely exposed to the air, so 

 as to harden them off gradually. Cuttings 

 of perpetual and climbing roses may be 

 inserted in September, but they must be 

 placed in cold pits or under handlights, 

 and receive protection under glass through- 

 out the winter. 



Stocks. Stocks sown in pans, or in the 

 reserve garden, in August, will now be fit 

 either to pot off and place in frames until 

 established, or to prick out on shady beds 

 in this department. 



September. Fruit Garden and 

 Orchard, Work in. 



Apples. Apples require very little atten- 

 tion now only a slight thinning-out of 

 cross shoots, bearing in mind that with 

 the apple, as with all other fruit, the best 

 grown is at the extremities of the branches ; 

 therefore, encourage short -jointed wood ; 

 and in shortening any of them prune back 

 to a bud which, from its healthy appear- 

 ance, indicated by its brownish green 

 promises to extend the tree. 



Apples , Gathering of. Early apples anc 

 pears, now coming on, should be gathered 

 a day or two before they are ripe ; and ii 

 is not unusual to make two or three gather 

 ings from the same tree, for, if gather ec 

 too soon, they shrivel ; and if suffered t 

 remain on the tree after maturity, much o 

 the best fruit will fall and get bruised while 

 being gathered. As they are gathered, laj 

 the pears singly, and the apples in tiers, o 



not more than two deep ; and separate 

 arefully all bruised fruit. 



Apricots, Nectarines, and Peaches. The 

 rees require to have the future bearing 

 hoots nailed in closely, and all laterals not 

 equired removed, so that the fruit may 

 ave the full benefit of the sun, from which 

 t derives the colour and flavour. Make a 

 nal thinning of the fruit where necessary. 

 A few of the leaves may also be removed, 

 where they shade the fruit too much. As 

 he fruit approaches its ripened state, nets 

 hould be extended beneath it to catch any 

 ailing fruit. To protect the fruit from 

 wasps, use fine netting, which admits of 

 jerfectly free circulation of air, and at the 

 5 ame time keeps off wasps and flies. Should 

 mildew appear at any time, dust the shoots 

 with flour of sulphur ; an occasional wash- 

 ng with soapsuds and syringing with pure 

 water will also be useful, avoiding, of 

 course, too near an approach to the fruit 

 with either. 



Apricots, <5rV. , Pruning of. The object 

 of training and pruning is to produce fruit. 

 If this is not specially attended to in the 

 case of the peach and nectarine, the fruit 

 will be small, as well as " few and far 

 between." To suffer trees to throw out 

 long luxurious branches, to be lopped off 

 at the end of their growth, reason tells us 

 must be bad management, while Mr. Rivers 

 tells us that all the pruning required for 

 wall or dwarf trees should be done with 

 the finger and thumb alone that is, he 

 would pinch off every shoot not required 

 in the future economy of the tree. By this 

 means he would direct all the sap of the 

 tree to the production of strong young 

 wood and fruit. It is obvious, therefore, 

 that if pruning has been neglected hitherto, 

 no time should be lost in getting them in 

 order now. Let all very luxuriant wood 

 and fore-right branches, as well as all strag- 

 gling branches, be cut out, leaving ample 

 store of young shoots, however, for next 



