420 



THE 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[June 29, 1912. 



The Week' s Work. 



THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



By F. Jordan, Gardener to Lady Nunbuknholme, 



Warter Priory, Yorkshire. 



Summer Pruning. — Continue this operation 

 at short intervals, pinching some shoots and 

 tying in others to extend the trees and replace 

 worn-out branches. On no account should super- 

 fluous shoots be retained to the detriment of 

 those intended to bear fruit next season. Some 

 shoots almost invariably take an undue share of 

 the sap, but by timely pinching with the finger 

 and thumb the proper balance may be main- 

 tained. Do not prune the shoots on those trees 

 which have become defoliated by caterpillars, so 

 numerous this season, but encourage them to 

 make as much new growth as possible, so as to 

 compensate for the loss of foliage. Any barren 

 trees that are making rank growth should be 

 noted, with a view to root-pruning them in the 

 autumn. While pruning is in progress, keep a 

 sharp look-out for caterpillars of the small ermine 

 moth. These caterpillars will be found in webs, 

 and, if removed and destroyed, they are pre- 

 vented from doing injury next season. All trees, 

 as they are tied or nailed in, should be well 

 w T ashed with a spray from the hose or garden 

 engine, not once or twice, but repeatedly until 

 they are free of insects. 



Thinning Fruits. — According to reports, 



Apples and Plums will not require much thinning 

 in many districts this season. Pears appear to 

 be a more general crop. However, when the 

 pruning and stopping are completed, an eye must 

 bo kept on the crop of fruit, thinning the crop 

 in all cases where this is necessary. Not only 

 may it be necessary to thin the fruits in order 

 to obtain fruits of good size and quality, but 

 thinning is necessary for annual cropping, as, 

 generally speaking, when trees are overcropped 

 they require at least one season to recuperate. 

 If an Apple or a Pear tree is overcropped the 

 fruit is generally small, flavourless and deficient 

 in colour. 



Small Fruits. — Gooseberries and Currants 

 are making a quantity of rather strong growth, 

 and the fruits will be greatly improved if some 

 of the shoots which crowd the centres are 

 shortened, but this must be done in a manner 

 that will not cause sudden exposure of the fruit. 

 Allow the outside shoots, especially upon young 

 trees, to extend, unless space is limited ; the 

 principal outside shoots should always be allowed 

 to extend so long as the flow of sap is fair! 

 distributed over every part of the tree. Black 

 Currants are badly attacked with aphis this sea- 

 son, and, notwithstanding the recent heavy rains, 

 the crop still appears to be failing. Raspberries 

 look well and promise a bountiful crop, a fair 

 proof that the canes were perfectly matured last 

 season. The voung canes are abundant and 

 strong, and will require a good deal of thinning. 

 Attention should be paid to the need for protect- 

 ing these and other small fruits from birds. 



FRUITS UNDER GLASS. 



By E. Harriss, Fruit Foreman, The Royal Gardens, 



Windsor. 



Figs.— When all the fruits have been gath- 

 ered from the early trees growing in borders, the 

 foliage should be thoroughly cleansed by treating 

 the trees with two or three applications of an 

 approved insecticide ; such application should be 

 given at intervals of two or three days. These 

 trees may be permitted to yield a second crop of 

 fruits, provided they are clean and healthy. 

 The fruits, which are usually very numerous on 

 the young growths, must be severely thinned, or 

 the crop will be disappointing. About one-third 

 of the total number should be allowed to ripen. 

 The manure which was placed on the bor- 

 der as a top-dressing being now exhausted, 

 may be removed so far as this can be done with- 

 out damaging the roots, replacing it with well- 

 decomposed cow or horse manure. The trees will 

 require plenty of water at the roots, and stimu- 

 lants may be applied liberally to any that are 

 well established. Syringe the foliage thoroughly 

 twice a day with rain-water, and during hot 



weather damp the paths and other surfaces of the 

 house at frequent intervals. Plenty of air must 

 be admitted in the early part of the day, closing 

 the house about 4 p.m. Later trees on which the 

 fruits have commenced to ripen must not be 

 syringed, neither must much water be thrown 

 about the house. Ventilate the house freely at 

 all times, opening both top and bottom ventila- 

 tors. Do not let the roots suffer for want of 

 moisture, but when water is necessary choose a 

 dry, fine morning for applying it, and see that 

 the ventilators are wide open, so that moisture 

 cannot condense on the fruits. If the fruits have 

 to be packed and forwarded by rail or post, they 

 must not be left on the trees till they are quite 

 ripe, as they are very easily damaged. 



Fig Trees in Pots. — Any young trees which 

 require a shift into larger pots should be attended 

 to before they become pot-bound. In most cases 

 a pot or tub two sizes larger than those in which 

 they are growing will be a suitable shift. For a 

 rooting medium the Fig enjoys good, fibrous loam, 

 with a liberal mixture of old brick rubble, wood 

 ashes and crushed bones, at the rate of an 8-inch 

 potfull to a barrow load of soil. A little soot will 

 also be beneficial. Some of the roots must be 

 carefully " teased " out with a pointed stick, 

 and, when ramming in the soil, see that the 

 whole of the space between the ball and the side 

 of the pot is filled solidly with soil. Keep the 

 trees in a moist atmosphere till the roots have 

 taken a firm hold of the new soil, and shade the 

 trees from bright sunshine till they have got over 

 the check. Do not let them become overcrowded 

 with growth, but stop the shoots at the fourth 

 or fifth leaf. The trees should be gradually 

 hardened off, and eventually placed outdoors in 

 a sunny position, to become thoroughly ripened 

 before the end of the autumn. 



Melons. — At this time of year Melons require 

 a great deal of attention. The plants w r hich are 

 swelling their fruits will require liberal supplies 

 of water at the roots, also plenty of stimulants. 

 Liquid cow manure is one of the best manures for 

 Melons, and may be given at full strength to- 

 wards the final stages of growth. Keep all lateral 

 shoots regularly removed, and pay timely atten- 

 tion to tying and regulating the young growths. 

 Plants in frames must be carefully attended to 

 when they are in flower, to ensure a good set of 

 fruits, and at this stage the atmosphere must be 

 kept dry. The frames must be carefully venti- 

 lated, so that air may freely circulate about the 

 plants, but cold draughts must be prevented. 



THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



By J. G« Weston, Gardener to Lady Northcote, 



Eastvvell Park, Kent. 



Pruning Flowering Shrubs.— That the 



proper pruning of shrubs is not always perfectly 

 understood is proved by the indiscriminate lop- 

 ping and shearing often practised in suburban 

 and other gardens. No one should attempt to 

 prune shrubs who does not possess a knowledge 

 of their habit of growth, time of flowering, and 

 mode of flowering — whether, for example, they 

 flower on the old or young wood. It is 

 also necessary for the operator to bear in 

 mind whether the trees are planted for 

 the purposes of a screen or to form a collec- 

 tion of individual specimens, each to show their 

 full beauty to the best advantage at the different 

 seasons of the year. The earlier-flowering shrubs, 

 such as Chimonanthus fragans, the Forsythias, 

 Ribes sanguinea, and others of that class, should 

 be pruned immediately after the blossoms have 

 fallen. These plants flower on the growths made 

 in the previous season, and the wood which has 

 already flowered should be severely pruned. The 

 shoots which are produced afterwards, having 

 the full benefit of exposure to sunshine and air, 

 will flower freely in the following season. 

 Deutzias, Weigelas, the stronger -growing sorts of 

 Philadelphus, Prunus triloba, and "all the 

 varieties of Peach and Almond are further 

 examples of this class, flowering best on the 

 young shoots of the previous year. TheTe need 

 be no hesitation in using the knife freely on them 

 at this season, more especially in cutting out the 

 old wood. Some of the newer hybrid Phila- 

 delphuses do not make 6uch strong growths as 

 others, and the pruning should be less severe. 

 In the case of recently-transplanted shrubs that 

 have not flowered well owing to the check 

 caused by removal, it is often best to cut them 

 down almost to the ground. That beautiful 

 Ceanothus "Gloire de Versailles," which flowers 



on the growth of the current year, should be cut 

 hard back to firm wood after the winter and the 

 resulting shoots thinned. Though often culti- 

 vated against a wall, this Ceanothus is seen at its 

 best when grown as a group on the lawn or in 

 the shrubbery, and it responds quickly to liberal 

 treatment. Hydrangea paniculata should be 

 pruned in exactly the same manner, whilst 

 Hydrangeas of the hortensis type should have 

 only the weak shoots taken out, for these flower 

 on well-ripened shoots of the previous year. The 

 thinning should be done late in the autumn. Lilacs 

 should be pruned as soon as they have flowered, 

 and some amount of thinning is often necessary. 

 Many shrubs are grown principally for the foliage, 

 and in the case of the ornamental-leaved Elders, 

 these give the best results if cut to the ground 

 level every winter ; they do not then become the 

 straggly specimens sometimes to be seen in 

 gardens. In the case of some species the prun- 

 ing should consist merely of keeping the plant in 

 the desired shape, and in its allotted space, bear- 

 ing in mind that an over-pruned shrub of this 

 nature will not compare favourably with one that 

 is allowed proper space for development. The 

 golden-leaved Privet usually colours much better 

 if a certain amount of thinning is given it before 

 growth commences in the spring. Many of the 

 shrubby Spiraeas require hard pruning in winter, 

 but Spiraeas of the type of "Anthony Waterer " 

 require only the removal of the weakest shoots. 

 Buddleia variabilis should be pruned hard in the 

 early spring before growth commences. It will 

 then grow away strongly, and, if given sufficient 

 room, will make a charming specimen. It re- 

 quires very liberal treatment and plenty of water 

 during the drought. The Tamarisks should be 

 pruned back to the hard wood in winter. That 

 beautiful shrub Rhus Cotinus and its varieties 

 require careful thinning of the weaker shoots 

 before growth commences, while the Olearias re- 

 quire little beyond the removal of over -strong 

 shoots. The Broom family should be kept 

 within reasonable limits by cutting young bushes 

 back after flowering. Caryopteris Mastacanthus 

 requires fairly hard pruning while dormant. Ker- 

 rias will also stand cutting hard, for they flower 

 well on young growths. 



PLANTS UNDER GLASS. 



By Thomas Stevenson, Gardener to E. Mocatta, Esq., 



Woburn Place, Addlestone, Surrey. 



Stove Plants. — The plants in the stoves are 

 now in very active growth. Some of the younger 

 plants that were potted a few weeks ago into 

 48's will now be ready for a further shift, that is, 

 if good-sized plants are required, and it is not 

 advisable to wait till theste young plants 

 receive a check by becoming pot-bound before 

 they are given this shift. Codiseums (Crotons), 

 Cordylines (Dracaenas), Acalyphas, Ixoras, and 

 other free-growing occupants of the stove should 

 be potted on as soon as possible into pots of the 

 most suitable sizes for use, so that they may have 

 time to get well rooted before the autumn, and 

 this is especially desirable with ornamental foli- 

 age plants. Plants that are well rooted in the 

 proper sized pots must be regularly fed, giving 

 a little artificial manure every week, or alter- 

 nating this with a good watering of liquid cow 

 or sheep manure, and, in the case of half speci- 

 men plants, I have found it a great advantage to 

 stand them in a pail of liquid manure for a 

 short time, the soil absorbing a great deal more 

 manure than when watered in the ordinary way. 

 As the plants grow they naturally require more 

 room, and it may be necessary to remove some 

 of the less tender occupants of the stove into the 

 houses that may have been used for the forcing 

 of Lilies, &c, or into the intermediate houses. 

 At this season any of the plants that have 

 overgrown their position in the stove may be 

 removed in this way, and, if a little care is 

 exercised in the hardening-off process, many 

 large, fine foliage plants may be utilised for fur- 

 nishing the conservatory or even the dwelling- 

 house during the next two or three warm montns, 

 throwing them away as soon as their period o 

 usefulness is over. 



Caladiums. - Large plants of Caladium 

 should have the foliage staked out a l fttle > "?,? 

 sufficient to make them look stiff, but enougn to 

 let the light and air penetrate to the centre 01 

 the plants; this will allow the young leaves tna* 

 may be pushing up to grow through and eo tor 

 good, shapely plants. 



