412 



P RU 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



P R U 



bottom, to prevent the roots from running downwards ; but 

 if you plant upon a chalk or gravel, it will be better to raise 

 the border to a proper thickness with good loamy earth, than 

 to sink them by removing earth or gravel; for although ther.e 

 are removed the whole length of the border, which may be 

 allowed to be eight feet, and this trench rilled with good 

 earth, yet the roots of the trees will in a few years extend 

 this length, and then meeting with the chalk or gravel, they 

 will receive a check, which will cause their leaves to fall off 

 early in the season, and the fruit will be small, dry, and ill- 

 flavoured, and the shoots of the trees will be weak. But 

 where the borders are raised above either, to their full height, 

 the roots will not strike down into the gravel or chaik, but 

 rather extend themselves near the surface, where they will 

 meet with better soil; and as the trees are of long duration, 

 and old trees are not only more fruitful than young, but the 

 fruit is also better flavoured, it is desirable to provide for 

 their continuance. The best soil for these, and all other 

 kinds of fruit-trees, is fresh untried earth, taken about ten 

 inches deep from a pasture-ground with the turf, and laid to 

 rot and mellow at least twelve months before it is used, mix- 

 ing a little rotten dung with it; this must be often turned, to 

 sweeten and imbibe the nitrous particles of the air. When 

 the former soil of the border is taken away, this fresh earth 

 should be carried into the place ; and if the borders be filled 

 with it two months before the trees are planted, the ground 

 will be better settled, and not so liable to sink afterwards ; 

 and in filling the borders, it should be raised four or five 

 inches above the intended level, to allow for the set- 

 tling. The borders being thus prepared, select such trees 

 as are only of one year's growth from their budding. If the 

 soil be dry, or of a middling temper, October is the best sea- 

 son for planting, especially as there will at that time be a 

 greater choice of trees from the nurseries, before they have 

 been picked and drawn over by other people. The manner 

 of preparing these trees for planting, is fully detailed under 

 the article Peach Tree; see Amyydalus. At the time of plant- 

 ing, no part of the head of the trees should be cut off", unless 

 there be any strong fore-right shoots which will not come to 

 the wall, and therefore these should be taken quite away. 

 The trees being prepared, mark out the distances at which 

 they are to stand, which, in a good strong soil, or against a 

 low wall, should be twenty feet or more, but in a moderate 

 one eighteen feet is a good reasonable distance ; then make 

 a hole where each tree is to stand, and place its stem about 

 four inches from the wall, inclining the head thereto; and 

 after having fixed the tree in the ground, nail the branches to 

 the wall to prevent their shaking, and cover the surface of 

 the ground round the root with rotten dung, to keep out the 

 frost; in this state let it remain till the end of February or 

 the beginning of March, when, if the weather be fine, you 

 must unnail the branche i of your trees, so as not to disturb 

 their roots ; and being provided with a sharp knife, put your 

 foot close to the stem of the tree, and placing your left hand 

 to the bottom of it, to prevent its being raised with your right 

 hand, cut off the head of the tree, if it has but one stem, or 

 where it has two or more shoots, each of them must be 

 shortened to about four or five eyes above the bud, so that 

 the sloping side may be towards the wall. In the spring, if 

 the weather proves dry, it will be necessary to give the trees 

 a gentle refreshing with water; in the doing of which, if they 

 be watered with a rose to the watering-pots all over their 

 heads, it will greatly help them. Lay some turf or other 

 mulch round their roots, to prevent their drying during 

 summer; and in the spring, as new branches are produced, 

 take care to nail them to the wall in a horizontal position, 



displacing all the foreright shoots. This must be repeated 

 as often as necessary, to prevent their hanging from the wall ; 

 but by no means stop any of the shoots in summer. At 

 Michaelmas, when the trees have done growing, their branches 

 should be unnailed, and shortened in proportion to their 

 strength : a vigorous branch may be left eight or nine inches 

 long, but a weak one not above five or six. Many persons 

 will perhaps be surprised at this direction, after their allow- 

 ing such a distance between the trees, that the wall can never 

 be filled ; but this pruning shoot is quite necessary, in order 

 to procure a further supply of lower branches, that every part 

 of the wall may be occupied quite from the bottom; having? 

 particular attention to preserve nearly an equal number of 

 branches arranging on each side of the tree, nailing thtia 

 close to the wall horizontally, four, five, or six inches asun- 

 der. In the summer following, each horizontal branch will 

 push out three, four, or more new shoots, of wliicli if any 

 rise fore-right and behind the branches, they should be rub- 

 bed off early in the season, nailing all the regular side- 

 shoots at full length during the summer, so as that the 

 middle of the tree may be kept open; and never shorten any 

 of the shoots in summer, unless to furnish branches to fill 

 vacant places on the wall ; and never defer this later than 

 the end of April, for the same reasons as are stated under 

 the article Amygdalus. At Michaelmas shorten these shoots 

 as was directed for the first year; the strong ones may be 

 left nine or ten inches, and the weak not more than six or 

 seven. The following year's management will be nearly the 

 same, only observe that Apricots produce their blossom-buds 

 not only upon the last year's wood, but also upon thecursons 

 or spurs which are produced from the two-years' wood ; a 

 great care should therefore be had in the summer manage- 

 ment, not to displace or injure these: observe also to shorten 

 the branches at the winter pruning, so as to furnish fresh 

 wood in every part of the tree; and be sure to cut out 

 entirely all luxuriant branches, or displace them as soon as 

 they are produced ; which if left to grow, would exhaust 

 the nourishment from the bearing branches, which cannot 

 be too strong, provided they are kindly ; for the more vigor- 

 ous the tree is, the more likely it is to resist the injuries of 

 the weather; though we have often seen trees brought to so 

 weak a condition as only to be able to blow faintly, after 

 which most of the bearing branches have died. This has 

 been often attributed to blight, when it really arose from 

 wrong management. The Brussels and Breda Apricots 

 being for the most part planted for standards, will require 

 very little pruning or management : only observe to take out 

 all dead wood, or such branches as cross each other; this 

 must be done early in autumn, or in the spring after the cold 

 weather is past, that the part where the incision is made 

 may not canker. 



14. Prunus Sibirica ; Siberian Apricot Tree. Flowers 

 sessile; leaves ovate-oblong. This differs very little from 

 the preceding species. It only attains the height of six feet, 

 and is probably a mere variety arising from the difference of 

 climate and situation. Native of Transalpine Dauria, in tin: 

 empire of Russia, where the north side of the mountains are 

 in May covered with the purple flowers of Rhododendron 

 Dauricum ; and the south side, with the white and rose- 

 coloured flowers of this dwarf tree. 



1/5. Prunus Pumila; Dwarf Canadian Cherry Tree. 

 Flowers subumbclled; leaves narrow, lanceolate. It rarely 

 exceeds four feet high, and divides into many slender branches 

 near the ground. The flowers come out two or three toge- 

 ther nl each joint, the whole length of the branches, on long 

 slender peduncles. It flowers in May. The fruit, which is 



