January The Passing of Winter 



may be carried out at any convenient time between the 

 third week of December and the end of January. It is 

 not wise to defer pruning later than that, except in the 

 case of Gooseberries, which are often attended to last of 

 all, owing to the damage done to the buds by birds. If 

 pruning is deferred as late as possible, the basal buds, 

 which are of chief importance, are more likely to be 

 unharmed. Fruit trees on walls ought to be trained 

 with some exactness, after pruning is completed. The 

 best method of procedure is to detach the stems, remove 

 all old shreds, which are often infested with insect pests 

 or disease spores, and re-attach the trees to the wall, 

 using fresh nails and shreds. Peach, Nectarine and 

 Cherry trees are invariably trained in the shape of a fan ; 

 Pear and Plum trees may be trained in similar fashion or 

 with the branches arranged in horizontal tiers. 



Planting and spraying may be continued during this 

 month, though, if the ground is very wet, planting is 

 best postponed. If it is intended to graft fruit trees 

 during March, scions or grafts ought now to be selected 

 and partly buried in the soil in a cool spot. 



Fruit Trees under Glass. There is still time to 

 renovate the borders in which Vines and Peaches are 

 planted ; even if it is not found necessary to do this, it is 

 beneficial to remove a few inches of surface soil and 

 replace with fresh turfy loam. Pruning ought to be 

 completed during ^this month; directions were given in 

 the notes dealing with work in December. If it is in- 

 tended to produce a crop of Grapes in early summer, 

 preparations must be made at once. When the Vines 

 have been pruned and cleansed, the vinery is kept closed 

 for a week or two, though no artificial warmth is em- 

 ployed. At the end of that period a night temperature 

 of 45 is maintained, and in the course of a few weeks is 

 increased to 50. Strawberries in pots may be forced in 

 the vinery, as conditions there suit them admirably ; they 

 ought to be placed on a shelf not far from the glass. 



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