AprU 4, 1865. ; 



JOUEKAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAQE GAEDENEE. 



gardeners treat them, however, as if they were nothing 

 more. 



Scythes. — Although to a certain extent, the scythe is 

 superseded by the mowing machine, still it is not driven 

 entii-ely out of the garden. There are times when it would 

 be better to mow with the scythe than with the machine. 

 For instance : after much dry weather, when instead of close 

 herbage the lawn is covered with bents or the flower-stalks 

 of the grasses ; and also in very wet weather when the 

 ttftjhine does not work so well. Although it is never ad- 

 visable to lay turf in such a position that the machine cannot 

 be used, there ai'e often places where this is so, as on steep 

 banks, or slopes that are too steep to work the machine ; 

 the scythe is indispensable in such places. In many gar- 

 dens the mowing machine has never been introduced, the 

 prejudices in favour of old methods, and in opposition to 

 new, not having been overcome. Strange as it may appeal- 

 to the scientific gardener, I have known both master and 

 man exclaim against the machine as a useless innovation, 

 applauding the scythe as the only machine worth patronising 

 on the lawn. Such antiquated notions, however, ai-e happily 

 the exception, for the scythe is too slow for these go-a-head 

 days, except in cases where it is retained as a matter of 

 necessity. 



Where such is the case, it is worth while to know which 

 kind is the best of the several that are known. As far as my 

 own experience goes, I would not recommend any of the so- 

 called self-aajusting scythes, or other modern improvements, 

 but prefer the more simple, and, as I think, better style of 

 old-fashioned scythe that fastens with ring and wedge. The 

 choice of the blade will requii'e a little of the knowledge of 

 good metal, an old hand can tell the ring of a good scythe. 

 The handle, also, is much a matter of choice. A pouch, 

 fastened round the waist with a strap, and a good Devon- 

 shire stone, are essentials required by the mower. 



Shears are both useful and necessary appliances where 

 there is much grass. Generally two kinds will be required : 

 the short-handled shears for clipping the sides of banks, 

 narrow corners, and such-like places — these should be rather 

 small than otherwise, and kept in good repair, or the work 

 cannot be done well or quickly — and the long-handled 

 shears which are used for clipping the edges of grass. The 

 handiest are those which are bent at an angle of about 80''. 

 If the shears are kept in good repair the work will be done 

 much better than if they are allowed to get out of order. 

 The same applies to all cutting instruments. There are 

 also shears made with long handles for clipping the surface 

 of the lawn without bending the back. These, however, 

 had better be left out of the catalogue. 



The Edging Ikon is for cutting the edges of the lawn 

 or grass verges when they have been trodden down or are 

 otherwise out of form. This instrument should be used once 

 every year, about the end of March. 



The Saw. — There are various forms of this instrument, 

 said to be -made expressly for various objects. I consider, 

 however, that there is no necessity for having more than 

 one, which may be called a pruning saw. This should have 

 double teeth, which is best for green wood, the blade being 

 rather naiTow and about 18 inches in length. This -will 

 answer in all cases where a saw is required in pruning or 

 cutting out dead wood, but had better not be used for sawing 

 dry wood or logs, which would spoil the teeth for pruning. 

 If the saw is simply used for that purpose it will last a long 

 time without the necessity of refiling- or sharpening. A large 

 handsaw will be, found very useful in cutting up logs, &c., 

 and where there is much wood it wUl often be called into 

 requisition. Instruments are sometimes made having the 

 Wade of a bUl or chopper on one side, and a saw on the other, 

 but are not generally desu-able. 



The Bill ok Hatchet. — There are various kinds or forms 

 of this instrument all more or less handy. That form in 

 general use by the hedgers about London will be found the 

 most convenient. The blade is straight, about 10 inches 

 long, with a small hook on the back, at the end opposite the 

 handle; it has a short wooden handle let into an ii-on socket. 

 The blade is generally of good steel. This kind of bill I 

 have found the most convenient in the garden, and though 

 it wOl not be required for pruning, it wUl be useful to cut 

 np the boughs as they are sawn off the trees, and make 

 them into pieces suitable for tying up in faggots. This 



bill is also useful for cutting pea sticks into the proper size 

 and form, and, indeed, for any purpose where a bill or hatchet 

 is required, including hedging or hedge trimming. There 

 wUl, however, be a difference of opinion as to the form of bill 

 which is the most handy, and it would be as well to let the 

 workman choose his own. 



The Axe will sometimes be useful in the garden as well 

 as in the woods. It will, however, be only in exceptional 

 cases, such as lopping off the larger branches of trees after 

 they have been 



— F. Chittt. 



[The sentence was thus left unfinished by Mr. Chitty ; his 

 death-disease seems to have deprived him of the energy 

 needed for the completion of his task. There is a mournful 

 interest attaches to this. It remains as evidence of a good 

 and true man striving to be useful even when disease forbade 

 liis being active — it was his last effort, and there is a sorrow- 

 fulness attaches to the knowledge that it was the " last." 



Mr. Chitty, let us repeat, has left a widow and five young 

 children unprovided for, and we shall be glad to receive fur- 

 ther contributions for their assistance. — Eds.] 



THE MODEEN PEACHPKUNEE. 

 No. 7. 



USEFUL MAXIMS. 



1. It is essential to form the tree into two equal wings, so 

 as to direct the main current of the ascending sap into two 

 channels. By this means it is best mastered and held in 

 check. The sap has always a very great tendency to flow in 

 a vertical direction, therefore any vertical line is a difRoulty 

 in training. The consequence of a neglect of this law in 

 vegetation is that the lower portion of a tree becomes feeble, 

 bears small fruit, is exhausted even by this production, 

 languishes, and dries up, while the upper branches, receiv- 

 ing a superabundance of sap which cannot be elaborated, 

 become rankly luxuriant, and so produce few flower-buds. 



2. In forming a tree it is an error to trust to shortening 

 back the branches at the winter pruning. A better mode 

 would be, during the period of growth, to incline a too 

 strong branch to a horizontal direction, and to tie up ver- 

 tically a too weak branch. Of all the plans adopted for this 

 purpose this is the simplest and the most efiicacious. The 

 weaker branch should also be allowed a greater freedom, so 

 that the sun and air may have free access all round it. Any 

 shoots on the weaker branch which are to be ultimately 

 removed should be allowed to remain on it as long as pos- 

 sible to attract the sap to it. The more leaves thus left the 

 more strength does the branch gain. The contrary practice, 

 of course, should be applied to the too vigorous branch of the 

 other wing. Fruits exhaust the branch, as they require 

 much sap to nourish them, therefore we should not leave 

 too many on a weak branch, where, however, they generally 

 soonest appear. 



By a combination of these simple means the equilibrium 

 of the vegetation of the tree may be restored during the 

 season of gi'owth, leaving comparatively little to be done at 

 the winter pruning. Considerable amputations always injure 

 trees, however well performed. The modern school espe- 

 cially recognise this principle, which is so much aided by 

 the summer stopping of the shoots that little or no shorten- 

 ing of the leading branches is ever requk-ed. We require 

 all the growth a tree can make ; and the object j^roposed by 

 shorteuing-iu the branches, often by fully one-third of their 

 length, so as to make the lower eyes break, can and ought 

 to be obtained by more natural means. If we take care of 

 the fruitful shoots these will soon master the branch. The 

 only use of the latter is to carry the former, and these 

 should be especially attended to. 



3. If we wish to obtain fruitful shoots the branches must 

 be left as long as possible. A contrary practice produces 

 only excessively vigorous shbots which are unfruitful. Trees 

 only produce flower-buds when, after having acquired a 

 certain development, the sap circulates more slowly. The 

 forms which trained trees are made to assume very much 

 contribute to favour this production of flower-buds by dis- 

 tributing the current of the sap into diverging lines, and 

 avoiding all vertical lines. The more these forms are com- 



