Gardening for Amateurs 



IOOI 



Medlar. The Medlar tree is not so much 

 grown as it used to be. It is seldom that 

 its fruit is now included among dessert, yet 

 when well grown and properly ripened it is 

 not to be despised. The tree is usually 

 grafted on the Thorn. It is an interesting 

 tree to plant on a lawn, for it has quite a 

 distinct form and character ; and when in 

 bloom it is strikingly pretty, with its large, 

 single rose-like flowers. When young the 

 tree ought to be pruned to ensure the re- 

 quired number of branches, but in later 

 years it is necessary only to cut out dead 

 and useless shoots. The fruit, after gather- 

 ing, should be ripened in a very cool room ; 

 it is not considered at its best until bletted, 

 that is, until soft, and this process takes two 

 or three weeks. The Nottingham and the 

 Royal are the two best to grow for dessert. 

 The Dutch, or Monstrous, bears much larger 

 fruits, but they do not ripen so well ; this 

 variety makes a bigger tree than either of 

 the other two. 



Mulberry. This forms a handsome speci- 

 men tree for a lawn, its broad, heavy, hand- 

 some foliage (which may be used for feeding 

 silkworms) being particularly striking and 

 effective, and the fruit is appreciated by 

 many. The tree is a native of Persia, and, 

 while hardy in British gardens, will not ripen 

 its fruit in the open in cold districts. When 

 grown from seeds it is usually a long time 

 coming into bearing, but trees raised from 

 layers or cuttings produce fruit in far less 

 time. While the trees are young the branches 

 should be kept thinly disposed and the side 

 shoots pruned in summer and winter, and 

 older trees that have become crowded with 

 branches benefit by being thinned out. 

 The Black or Common Mulberry is the best 

 to grow. 



Nut, Gob and Filbert. No orchard is 

 complete unless it contains a few Nut trees ; 

 when shelter for the orchard is required 

 against north, north-east, and east winds, 

 Nuts are excellent for this purpose, as also 

 are Damson trees. When planted for shelter 

 they should be 9 feet apart only, and six 

 rows are necessary to provide effective 

 shelter. The Nut tree will succeed and fruit 

 satisfactorily on poor soil, and is satisfied 

 with less attention than most hardy fruits. 

 Hard pruning, however, is essential to suc- 



cess. In buying young trees from the nur- 

 sery, see that they have a stem clear of 

 branches for 15 or 18 inches ; there will 

 then be fewer suckers at the base of the 

 trees, and it is much easier to keep the 

 ground under the trees clean and free from 

 weeds. 



The Nut is increased by suckers or shoots 

 that grow from the base of the trees. They 

 should be dug up with roots attached and 

 planted 2 feet apart on a reserve border. 

 They are likely to thrive better here for 

 the first two years than if planted in their 

 permanent quarters at once. When finally 

 planted they should be put 12 feet apart 

 each way. Supposing one starts with a 

 sucker (a shoot having roots) say 3 feet 

 long ; this ought to be cut back to about 

 2 feet 3 inches. The upper 9 inches of stem 

 contains buds from which branches will 

 issue for forming the tree, as stated, the 

 buds being rubbed off the lower 18 inches 

 to form a clear stem. During the first year 

 after planting six or more shoots will be 

 formed ; the following winter these are 

 shortened by half, care being taken to prune 

 to an outside bud. Thus the branches will 

 develop in an outward direction, and a 

 spreading bush having an open centre will 

 result. The effect of cutting back these 

 six shoots will be the formation of others, 

 of which twelve are enough to form the 

 main branches. If there are more than this 

 number the weaker ones should be cut out 

 to their base. Each year the main branches 

 produce short side shoots on which fruit 

 is borne. The long male catkins which 

 are seen early in February are allowed 

 to remain until after the small crimson 

 female flowers have appeared. On fine days 

 it is a good plan to shake the trees well 

 in order to disperse the pollen from the 

 catkins and so assist it to come in contact 

 with the female flowers to secure fertilisa- 

 tion. Nut trees, when established, are 

 prone to produce a profusion of young 

 shoots from the tops of the branches. It 

 is a good plan to give the tops a twist, break- 

 ing the branches, but not cutting them off. 

 This process assists in the ripening of the 

 " wood," helping to make the tree more fruit- 

 ful ; the first week in August is a good time 

 to carry out this work. At winter pruning 



