168 THE FLORIST ANfi 



of opinion that winter pruning will ever, or ought to be, entirely 

 superseded ; but in our country it will certainly do so to a very great 

 extent. Summer pruning, by reducing the quantity of foliage, 

 checks luxuriance, and induces fruitfulness ; while winter pruning, 

 especially if effected early, lessens the quantity of wood to be sup- 

 ported by the roots, and thus induces a luxuriance not to be other- 

 wise obtained. Without entering into the physiology of this matter' 

 which will be apparent to all acquainted with the functions and of- 

 fices of leaves, wood, and roots, I will proceed to detail the manner 

 in which I apply the principle in the cultivation of the nectarine. 



Suppose the plant to be one year old from the bud, and required 

 to be planted against the back wall or trellis in the nectarine house, 

 I should have it planted immediately after the fall of the leaf, and 

 cut down at once to three or four good eyes above the place of 

 working, or bud. By this I should get three very luxuriant shoots 

 the following year, to form the skeleton of the "fan" on which 

 form to train it. Fruit for the first three years of the life of the 

 tree is a secondary object, the chief one being to obtain a vigorous 

 tendency ; therefore, the shoots obtained from the first year's winter 

 pruning are suffered to grow as much as they will, no "finger and 

 thumb" work is employed, every leaf and stem is carefully preserved 

 to aid in collecting material for the strength of the main branches. 

 A very common idea is, that "strong shoots are robbers." No 

 such thing — -every leaf and branch above a given point on a tree 

 strengthens that part which runs below it. After the fall of the 

 leaf, the last year's growth is cut in to within a few eyes of the 

 former year's growth, as that season's had been done before it ; and 

 the following season's growth will require the application of the 

 principles of summer pruning. An eye will then have to be kept 

 to the desired form of the future tree ; and after selecting such 

 shoots as they burst forth, to be retained, the remainder, that are 

 not required, are taken out entirely — '"disbudded." This is the on- 

 ly season in which I practise disbudding, or removing shoots en- 

 tirely that are not wanted the next season. Thus, the third winter, 

 provided soil, water, and other circumstances have been favorable, 

 we have a luxuriant, healthy tree capable of bearing fair crops of 



