308 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 17, 1872. 



which landed 2031 bags on her last voyage. The French boats 

 are bringing in full cargoes of sound Potatoes, which meet with 

 ready purchasers at lid. per peck. 



EEPOTTING SHOW AND FANCY 

 PELAEGONIUMS. 



Isr repotting plants which have been pruned back and are 

 breaking, after removing most of the old soil they are either 

 transferred to pots of the same size as those which they pre- 

 viously occupied, or, more generally, to pots of a smaller size, 

 and again potted when well established, as free fresh rooting is 

 desirable. I use the compost lighter than for the final 

 pottings. Thus, to three parts of fibrous loam inclined to be 

 light, I would add one part of rotten dung or leaf mould, well 

 dried, and exposed to the air previous to use. If the loam does 

 not contain much grit add one part of silver sand, and less if 

 the loam is sandy and gritty. Add nearly one part of small 

 charcoal, say from the size of small shot up to peas, and 

 even as large in some cases as Mazagan beans. The smaller 

 size of the charcoal lumps will be no disadvantage provided 

 the mere dust is excluded, and that dust will be useful for 

 cuttings, and for top-dressing cuttings in winter. Such a soil 

 will suit all the large-flowering Pelargoniums. The more 

 tender Fancies will be the better of nearly one part of heath 

 soil, well broken, being added to the compost. 



Much will depend on the sweetness of the compost, having 

 it neither too wet nor too dry. Perhaps most injury is done 

 in potting by using soil too dry, it is so difficult to water it 

 thoroughly afterwards. Any soil for potting that by squeezing 

 a handful it will retain the trace of the finger, and can be laid 

 on the potting-bench as if it were moulded, without any 

 signs of falling to pieces, is too wet. If the soil will not 

 retain the traces of the fingers when firmly pressed, it is too 

 dry. It is difficult to prevent those who pot from using soil or 

 compost too dry. 



Where pots must stand on soil, sand, &c, the mode of 

 drainage is important. Generally, broken pots are used for the 

 purpose. Place the first large piece over the hole, with its 

 rounded side downwards, and the smallest worm will not get 

 in, and yet the water will escape freely enough if there are 

 other smaller pieces laid loosely over the first, or fine washed 

 gravel surmounted with a pinch of fresh moss just to keep the 

 soil out of the drainage. The simple plan of placing the 

 convex side, and not the concave side, over the hole will thus 

 be an advantage. Of course, it would be different if people 

 went to the expense of tin or zinc caps to fit tightly over the 

 hole. However nicely these or the convex side of a crock cover 

 the hole, the water will escape easily enough if there is smaller 

 drainage for from half an inch to an inch above the main 

 hole-covering piece. — R. F. 



DEPRESSING THE BRANCHES OP FETJIT 



TEEES. 

 The origin of this practice is lost in the darkness of antiquity, 

 and it is likely that even those who put it in force for the first 

 time had no real claim to the merit of the discovery, as they 

 did in this but copy what goes on in fruit trees left to them- 

 selves, as, for example, those of the orchard. It is, in fact, 

 quite clear to an observer, that the branches which compose 

 the head of these trees lengthen-out, at first following a ver- 

 tical line, and in course of time become covered with shoots, 

 particularly in the portions more exposed to light on the out- 

 side. The weight of these shoots acting upon the chief branches 

 causes them to bend gradually downwards, in consequence of 

 which the circulation of the sap being affected and the strength 

 of the branches impaired, these latter finish-up by putting out 

 a crop of flower-buds. The weight of the fruit still further in- 

 creases the depression, and either from this successive lowering 

 or from the larger bulk of fruit they are forced to maintain , 

 the vigour of the branches by degrees grows less and less. It 

 is only with great trouble and by following a course other than 

 that ordained by Nature that the sap at last reaches the old 

 branches, where, being compelled to expend the whole of its 

 force, young and healthy shoots can be seen springing forth 

 under its influence, and elongating in an upward direction over 

 those already bent below. These new branches appropriate 

 nearly all the sap of the tree, and the old ones, sinking 

 more and more, end their existence by drying completely up. 

 It is not long, however, before these new branches begin to 



undergo the displacement to which their jn-edecessors were 

 subjected, and then ultimately experience the same fate, dying 

 out and making room for a new generation of vigorous shoots. 

 This continuous development proceeds until the period when 

 the tree has no longer a sufficient sujply of sap at its disposal, 

 and it then begins to show signs of coming decease. From 

 what we have said, therefore, it would appear that those who> 

 put this practice in execution for the first time did but take 

 a hint from Nature's teaching, in the same way as we have 

 done in a good number of our cultural operations, such as 

 inarching, layering, and propagation by cuttings. The arti- 

 ficial enforcement of the principle explained above, however, 

 has often given rise to such lamentable results, that people 

 would now deny the truth of the usefulness of this depression 

 of the branches even in some special cases. Repossesses agenuine 

 utility in the following circumstances : — 



In causing the formation of flower-buds on Pear trees, 

 the extreme sapfulness of which in a great measure hinders 

 the production of a fruitful condition. The flower-buds are 

 only produced at the extremities of the branches, where the 

 action of the sap is less intense. As the depression of the 

 branches tends to impede the onflow of the^sap in too great 

 quantity, it is conceivable that the practice thereof is favour- 

 able to the process of fructification. But one should be careful 

 not to lower the branches beyond a certain point, or else a risk 

 of overdoing the thing is incurred, when, in consequence of the 

 sap not flowing to the depressed part in sufficient amount, 

 the flower-buds are unable to form, and, besides, over- 

 luxuriant shoots will spring with too great vigour from the 

 bottom of these depressed branches, and soon succeed in put- 

 ting an end to their existence. "We think, also, that the degree 

 of depression should not be always the same, for, as the object 

 of the practice is merely to check the extravagant supply of 

 sappy matter which would spoil the fruiting of the branches, 

 these ought to be gently raised in proportion as they become 

 less overcharged. The lowering of the branches more than 

 10° below the horizontal, which is recommended in such an 

 absolute manner by some, seems to us to exceed reasonable 

 bounds, and is the chief reason of the rnauy failures which have 

 nearly everywhere followed the application of the same, al- 

 though an additional cause may be the unchecked development 

 of numerous exhausting buds that take their origin at the point 

 where the branches begin to curve. These buds should be re- 

 moved whilst yet young by a severe exercise of pinching, 

 though even at the danger of seeing the branch soon sink 

 under it. Finally, the same reason forbids that too large a 

 number of fruits should be left on the branches so treated for 

 fear of their producing ultimate exhaustion. As regards making 

 choice between the curve and the straight line at the time of 

 depressing the branches, little can be said. If it is well done 

 satisfactory results can be obtained as well by one way as the 

 other, but the following reasons induce us to advocate the 

 curve. The depressed branch does not make such an acute 

 angle with the stem as in the other case, and, consequently, 

 there is less resistence to the passage of the sap from the stem 

 to the branch, and a less vigorous production of saj>-appro- 

 priating buds. On the other hand, the branch is less likely to 

 be broken when trained in a straight line. 



It also possesses a genuine utility in promoting fruit- 

 bearing, and in securing the development of conveniently- 

 situated succession shoots upon Vines subjected to the long- 

 pruning system. The fruiting nature of the Vine is totally 

 different from that of other kinds of fruit trees, as the flowers 

 are produced from shoots of the same year, and as all the 

 leaf-buds of the young branches are capable of being trans- 

 formed into fruit-bearing shoots ; whence it follows the more 

 plentiful the buds upon a young branch are, the greater will be 

 the produce therefrom. But if the young branch is fixed in a 

 vertical position, the shoots arising from it will be less nu- 

 merous than if it were more or less a little depressed. As to 

 the degree of depression, it ought to exceed a little that which 

 suits other fruit trees, for the Vine is a plant very prolific of 

 shoots, and on this account is less affected by an alteration 

 in the arrangement of its branches. They can, therefore, be 

 carried some 12° below the horizontal. 



But the depression of the fruit-bearing shoots of the Vine 

 is also practised with a view to another not less important 

 object. It is, in fact, necessary to make a new fruit-bearing 

 shoot come into existence every year in order to take the place 

 of that of the year before, and to effect this so that the new 

 shoot may resemble old wood as nearly as possible in con- 

 stitution. Now, by depressing the fruit-bearing shoot of one 



