110 FRUIT GARDEN. 



its place. This replacing shoot is shortened to about 

 eight or nine inches, care being taken to cut at a wood-bud , 

 and at the time of disbudding, the best situate buds, and 

 those nearest the base, are left for the future year's bear- 

 ing. To this plan it is objected, by a writer in the Horti- 

 cultural Register, that the annual excision of the bearing 

 shoots produces a series of rugged and unsightly protuber- 

 ances at their base, and along the upper surfaces of the 

 principal members ; an objection which also militates 

 against Dumoutier's form. Mr. Loudon, on the other 

 hand, declares that Mr. Seymour's mode is the most per- 

 fect iii theory that has been described. For ourselves, we 

 are inclined to prefer the old fan-form, when well executed, 

 as approaching nearest to the natural habit of the tree, and 

 as best adapted to our uncertain climate. As a general 

 observation, it may be said that, in the training of peach 

 trees, " whatever is best administered is best ;" and there 

 is no doubt that many ingenious gardeners have only par- 

 tial success, because, from the multiplicity of their engage- 

 ments, their trees can receive only partial attention. 



For cold and late situations, Mr. Knight recommended 

 the encouraging of spurs on the young wood ; such spurs, 

 when close to the wall, being found to generate the best 

 organized and most vigorous blossoms, and thus to ensure 

 a crop of fruit. They may be produced by taking care 

 during the summer-pruning, or disbudding, to preserve a 

 number of the little shoots emitted by the yearly wood, 

 only pinching off the minute succulent points. On the 

 spurs thus procured, numerous blossom-buds form early in 

 the following season. This mode of spurring is much 

 practiced in Scotland. 



Peach trees, particularly in the North of England, and 

 also in Scotland, require protection from atmospherical in- 



