132 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



Disbudding. — Contemporaneously with the set- 

 ting of the fiuit the wood-buds will begin to swell, 

 and burst into fresh healthy growth. If the wood of 

 the past year was well ripened, and the trees have 

 been brought on steadily with plenty of air, these 

 y®ung growths will not be too far in advance of the 

 fruit. If these conditions, however, have not been 

 fulfilled, disbudding and pinching will requii-e very 

 early attention, otherwise, although properly set, 

 many of the young fruit will not swell away freely. 

 Therefore, to prevent robbers or gross breaks from 

 carry ing away the sap that should go to their suppoi-t, 

 give timely attention ta pinching, disbudding, and 

 shortening back, always bearing in mind that fruit 

 formed near the base and on the upper sides of the 

 shoots should be encouraged to swell on for the crop. 

 The first point to be considered in the manipulation 

 of a bush, pyramid, or cordon tree is a regular supply 

 of young growths from the base of every fruit-pro- 

 ducing shoot. These when secured may be allowed 

 to grow to the necessary length before they are 

 pinched, as they will be the fruit-producers in the suc- 

 ceeding year. The terminal growth may extend some 

 five or six leaves where the tree is already large, when 

 it must be pinched again and again throughout the 

 season. All other growths between the base and the 

 terminal, unless more wood is wanted to form the 

 trees, must be kept closely pinched to within three 

 or four leaves of the fruit, and some of them may be 

 entirely removed after the crop is thinned. It is a 

 difficult matter to give precise directions for stopping 

 every shoot ; but the practised eye will soon discover 

 that the balance of the tree can only be maintained 

 by the incessant pinching of all free growths near 

 the apex, and allowing a little more licence to those 

 which are naturally weaker near the base. Next 

 in importance to the equal diffusion of the sap over 

 every part of the tree is its form and freedom from 

 crowding. These points must not be lost sight of, as 

 neglect of the "first will rob the tree of its charms, 

 while overcrowding will lead to the production of 

 pale, vapid, colourless fruit, which must be deficient 

 in flavour. 



Thinning the FruLt. — When the fruit has at- 

 tained the size of small Marrow Peas, and copious 

 sjo-inging has cleared away the remains of the flo^^•ers, 

 thinning must receive attention. The first operation 

 will be the removal of all side fruits where triplets have 

 been formed, and the least promising of the two where 

 they have set in pairs. Then, provided an abundance, 

 from which the crop can be selected, are standing on 

 the upper sides of the shoots, remove alh that have 

 been formed on the lower sides, as they cannot be 

 expected to colour to the apex. An interval of a 

 few days will show which of those left are the most 



jjromising, when a second, but not the final thinning- 

 may be taken in hand. When the Peaches attain tbe 

 size of Acorns, calculate the number which each tree 

 may be allowed to carry to matiuity, and again 

 reduce the number by taking oflt a few more of the 

 least-promising and worst-placed fruits. If the tree 

 is considered capable of maturing, say thirty Peaches, 

 thin down to forty, and then leave it until after the 

 stoning process is complete. Well-managed pot-trees 

 do not generally cast a large percentage of fruit at 

 stoning-time, but they are always liable to cast some ; 

 it is, therefore, a safe plan to leave a few to be taken 

 off after this process is complete. It may be men- 

 tioned that this mode of thinning applies to all kinds 

 of frmt under orchard-house culture, as it is by 

 timely attention to all these details that superior 

 quality is obtained. In course of time the trees 

 attain a large size, and become one mass of spui's and 

 blossom, bearing shoots which set hundreds of fruit, 

 and independently of age always carry a heavy crop 

 to maturity ; but timely and continuous thinning 

 must never be neglected, otherwise that left will 

 ripen prematurely when it ought to be commencing 

 the last swelling. 



How long a well- managed pot or tub-tree will last,, 

 is a question which might have been answered by such 

 veterans as the late Mr. Pearson or Mr. Rivers ; but 

 it is only doing bare justice to the system to say 

 that trees at Eastnor, which were potted more than 

 twenty years ago, still require considerable thinning, 

 and still produce fruit good enough to take the 

 premier prizes at the best shows in the kingdom. 



Top-dressing. — A very important featm-e in pot- 

 culture is top-di'essing, that is, keeping the sm-face 

 roots constantly supplied with, rich compost duiing^ 

 the time the trees are carrpng and maturing a croj) 

 of fruit. Some growers place their trees on the 

 borders, and allow the roots to strike into the 

 sm-face ; but this is not a good system, as the liberal 

 supplies of water, which carry down much rich 

 stimulating matter, soon draw them away from 

 home, when the compost in the pots becomes little 

 better than a mediiun. Large trees are soon 

 produced, and all goes well until the fruiting year, 

 when the border roots having been cut off, the few 

 feeble feeders contained in the pots are imable to 

 supply the requisite food. The trees flag, water ad 

 lib. is given to them, the rich compost, quite innocent 

 of active roots, becomes sour, water-logged, and 

 pasty, and pot- culture is pronounced a failure. But 

 let the tree be placed on bricks or tiles, apply rich 

 mulching to the surface of the pot, and thousands of 

 hungry feeders will take possession of every bit 

 of tm-f, bone, and manure. Stimulating top-dressings 

 are prepared in various ways. Some use dried cow- 



