I02 



THE FRUIT GARDEN 



Disbudded Branch after 

 Fruit is "Set" 



(2) Disbudded shoots ; {a) growth to attract the sap to the 

 fruit, stopped ; {d) successional bearing shoot to take 

 place in following year of that now fruiting. 



remove the soil of the border to within at least 3 or 4 feet of the tree stem. 

 In doing this many roots will be found, and must be carefully preserved. After 

 the old soil has been cleared away and the drainage made perfect, the border 

 may be partly re-filled with new soil, mixed as at first recommended. Among 

 the useful fibrous roots there will be found many long, bare, and useless ones. 

 These must be cut back half their length that young roots may spring from 

 them. The new border formed should extend only about 2 feet beyond the 



roots. This will provide sufficient 

 new soil for at least one year. 

 Fresh soil can be added afterwards 

 as required. A good mulching of 

 horse manure and loam should be 

 given to the tree or trees thus 

 treated as soon as growth is active, 

 and if the work has been carefully 

 executed no great sacrifice of the 

 crop will result. Either before 

 or after a severe root operation of 

 this sort has been performed it is 

 advisable to prune the branches 

 rather severely, cutting out altogether any long, partly barren shoots, and shorten- 

 ing others which are likely to break freely, thereby helping to furnish the tree 

 again with fruitful and more compact branches. A tree thus treated must 

 be frequently syringed as soon as growth commences, and for some weeks 

 afterwards. 



Various Methods of Training. — Of the various systems of training and 

 pruning the peach tree under glass which are occasionally practised, I have so 

 far only mentioned two, viz., with the curved front trellis and trellis on the 

 back wall, and with one trellis covering the whole of the roof from base to 

 summit. Another method of training the peach is upon a double upright trellis 

 arranged transversely in the house. I believe that the claim advanced in favour 

 of it is based principally on the theory that fruits are obtained from a larger 

 surface. This cannot well be disputed, but it is open to question whether this 

 larger area of fruit-bearing surface is not obtained at the sacrifice of some of the 

 essentials of successful fruit culture, more especially heat and sunlight directly 

 upon the foliage and fruits. This method has been known for a long time, and 

 in these utilitarian days the public is not slow to take advantage of a good thing. 

 Seeing that it has only been adopted on a very limited scale, we may, I think, 

 reasonably conclude that it has failed to enlist the practical sympathy of growers. 

 Another system which finds some favour is to train the trees horizontally, as 

 usually practised with the pear tree on walls. When this system is adopted 

 spur-pruning is generally resorted to, but the current year's shoots can also 

 be tied in to bear fruit the following season. I have tried this method of 

 culture for some years, but cannot recommend it. In narrow glass-houses, 

 where the peach trees are planted against the wall only, I have had much success 

 by training branches from the trees on the wall over the pathway and down the 



