November 15, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



377 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



Day Day 



of i of 



Month Week. 



NOVEMBER 15—21, 1877. 



Average 



Temperature near 



London. 



Sun 

 Rises. 



Sun 

 Seta. 



Moon 

 Rises. 



Moon 

 Sets. 



Moon's 

 Age. 



Clock 



before 

 Sun. 



Day 



of 



Year. 



15 i Th 



16 ; F 



17 S 



18 : Sun 



19 ! M 



20 [ Tn 



21 W- 



Sale of Orchids at Stevens's Rooms. 

 Southampton Show. 

 Ealing Chrysanthemum Show. 

 25 Sunday after Tbinity. 



Northampton Show. 



Sale of Bulbs at Stevens's Rooms. 



Day. 



49 



489 



48.1 



47.9 



43.9 



48.7 



49.6 



Night. 

 34.8 

 83.2 

 33.9 

 32.9 

 83.5 

 34.6 

 86.2 



Mean* 

 41.9 

 41.0 

 41.0 

 40.4 

 41.2 

 41.7 

 42.9 



h. m. 

 7 21 

 7 22 

 7 24 

 7 26 

 7 28 

 7 29 

 7 31 



h. m. 

 4 9 

 4 7 

 4 6 

 4 5 

 4 4 

 4 2 

 4 1 



h. m. 



1 56 



2 7 

 2 18 

 2 32 



2 50 



3 14 

 3 48 



h. m. 



1 



2 10 



3 21 



4 84 



5 51 



7 11 



8 SI 



Dave. 

 10 

 11 

 12 

 13 

 14 

 • 

 16 



m. a. 

 15 IS 

 15 2 

 14 50 

 14 b7 

 14 24 



14 10 



15 54 



319 



320 

 321 

 322 

 323 

 324 

 325 



From observations taken near London during forty-three years, 



sir. 



;he average day temperature 



of the week is 43 



7° ; and 



its night temperature 



WINTER PRUNING OF FRUIT TREES. 



T many writers the pruning of fruit trees is 

 made to appear as one of the most scientific 

 matters connected with gardening. To such 

 an extent is this earned in numerous in- 

 stances that many amateurs and owners of 

 small gardens who do their own gardening 

 are frequently deterred from pruning their 

 fruit trees altogether. They are so much 

 afraid of "doing them wrong" that Ihey 

 prefer not doing them at all, which results 

 in much injury to the tree, and deficiency in hoth quantity 

 and quality of the fruit. Pruning is a simple operation, 

 easily imitated from practice or learned from reading. 

 The following notes are written without any pretensions 

 to science or mystery, and those who put them into 

 practice may rely on keeping their fruit trees and bushes 

 in shape and in good bearing order. The winter pruning 

 of all fruit trees may be done from the middle of Novem- 

 ber until the end of March. It is of no use saying, Only 

 prune when the weather is dry and free from frost. It is 

 very seldom we are so favoured in the winter season, and, 

 excepting in extreme frost or snow, we practise pruning. 

 Apples. — I may assume without being far wrong that 

 all fruit trees are well pruned and trained so long as they 

 are in a young state in the nurseryman's hands. On 

 receiving fruit trees from the nursery it will be seen that 

 the branches are not crowded or growing across each 

 other, and one is a good distance from another. No better 

 example could be shown or taken than this for all future 

 guidance in pruning. In pruning both young and old 

 Apple trees always cut out all cross-growing shoots : 

 where this will cause a large vacancy leave a bud or two 

 at the bottom from which a straight shoot may spring 

 up. Where it is desired to have the trees low, cut the 

 straight young shoots well down that they may send 

 shoots out underneath. In young trees it is always best 

 to lay a good foundation by cutting them close-in for a 

 year or two at the first, because when they are allowed to 

 become straggling at first it is very difficult to get them 

 into form again. Where many shoots are growing to- 

 gether cut all the weakest clean out, and shorten about 

 halfway back those that are left. When it is desired to 

 make a tree into any particular shape pruning must be 

 done accordingly. In old trees cut out all long budless 

 branches, and let the nearest young shoots take their 

 place. Never cut away a branch with a lot of blunt- 

 pointed fruit buds on it. Cankered half-dead wood should 

 never be allowed to remain. Where the branches are 

 not wished to be extended any further cut all the shoots 

 made at their points this season close in to the old wood. 

 Always let the shoots extend outwards ; never allow them 

 to become jammed in the centre and thin and straggling 

 at the outside. Young trees will want the centre shoots 

 thinned and shortened, old trees must have the dead 

 branches cut out and all this year's wood not needed 

 cut-in to one eye, or two, from last year's wood. 



Pears. — These are pruned somewhat after the style for 



No. S6S.— Vol. XXXIIL.New Semes,. 



the Apples. They always bear on the spurs, and as many 

 of these must be secured as possible. Standard or bush 

 trees must have all the young shoots cut-back where they 

 are not wanted, but they should not be cut quite bo close 

 as the Apples. It is very seldom that any of the round- 

 pointed fruit buds require to be thinned, but where they 

 are crowded cut out the weakest. With trees on walls, if 

 the branches are being extended, only take a small point 

 from the leading shoot which has been formed in summer, 

 and all the young shoots which are growing straight out 

 from the wall on last and former year's wood must be 

 cut-back to the third or fourth eye. 



Plums. — Most Plums resemble Pears very much in 



their habit of growth and mode of fruiting. We prune 



our wall Plums just the same as the Pears. Bushes 



j have their shoots well shortened, as the branches are 



'. so liable to grow small and bear down on one another. 



Any old trees which have not been pruned for years 



should have all the small trash of branches cut clean out 



; of the centre, and all shoots some yards long with only a 



few buds at the point must be cut away also. 



Apricots. — These are just pruned like the preceding, 

 but sometimes they do not grow so luxuriant while young, 

 and therefore are not cut so much until they have be- 

 come established ; but at the same time they are never 

 allowed to grow out of shape. Old trees produce many 

 fruitless shoots amongst the fruit buds on the spurs, 

 these should all be cut-in to the first or second eye. 



Peaches and Nectarines.— These require about as 

 much care in pruning as any kind of fruit tree. They do 

 not like being cut too much, but at the same time they 

 will not do without being pruned. It may be thought 

 that the directions for pruning such important fruit trees 

 must make a long article, but such is not the case, as the 

 whole operation may be stated in very few words. Peach 

 free shoots which start from the main stem soon grow a 

 considerable distance, and they have a great tendency to 

 become budless as they proceed. The results of this 

 may often be seen in trees with nearly leafless and fruit- 

 less centres. When pruning is annually done this may 

 always be avoided. In Bpring time when disbudding the 

 tree leave one young shoot to form a branch at the very 

 base of the previous year's wood. In pruning now cut 

 all the wood in front of this shoot away and let this shoot 

 be nailed or tied-in to fruit next year. By doing this no 

 tree will become bare of young wood on one part and 

 crowded on another. The Peach and Nectarine always 

 fruit on the young wood, therefore save as much of this 

 as possible. Unless the shoots are extremely long do 

 not cut much from their points, but a littlo should always 

 be taken off each shoot, because very often the extreme 

 bud is a fruit one, and it is always desirable to have leaves 

 at the point, which may be secured by cutting in front of 

 where a small bud is seen in the centre with a large one 

 on each side. 



Cherries. — All young shoots on bush trees not wanted 

 to extend the tree should be eui-ia to 2 inches from the 

 old wood. "Wall trees must have the, best of the shoots 

 nailed-in, and cut away all small unripe twigs. 



No.152 1 .— Vol. LVI1I., Old Sebies. 



