THE PEACH AND NECTARINE UNDER GLASS. 



163 



first, as they produce an abundance of fertile pollen, 

 and when the brush is well charged, the shy or 

 delicate kinds should be impregnated, returning from 

 time to time to the free pollen-producers for a further 

 supply of pollen. This operation may be repeated 

 from day to day until the latest trees begin to drop 

 their petals, when there will no longer be any need 

 for its continuance. 



As the season advances and the trees under the 

 influence of increased solar heat break freely into 

 a vigorous blossom, artificial impregnation may be of 

 less consequence : but even then all shy-setting trees 

 should be attended to. In large, lofty houses, where 

 the use. of the camel-hair pencil would be impractic- 

 able, a bunch of soft feathers, as used for dusting 

 delicate china, placed on a light rod, answers the pur- 

 pose very well. Late houses and wall-cases open to 

 insects do not often fail to set a crop of fruit ; but it 

 is very doubtful if systematic cross-fertilisation does 

 not increase the size and weight of all kinds of stone 

 fruit. 



Disbudding. — When it is borne in mind that a 

 healthy Peach-tree forms as many buds as it does 

 leaves on shoots of the current year, and that the 

 majority of these will develop into blossoms or shoots 

 in the succeeding year, it will not be difficult to 

 arrive at the conclusion that a great number of super- 

 fluous buds will have to be removed to prevent it from 

 becoming a tangled and disorganised mass. It has 

 already been explained that the fan system of train- 

 ing is the best, and that the framework of the young 

 tree is formed by timely and judicious disbudding. 

 After the tree is properly formed it is still necessary 

 to keep it regularly and evenly furnished with annual 

 growths for succession, and as crowding would pre- 

 vent their proper development and maturation, the 

 cultivator is still obliged to disbud. The time to do 

 this must be governed by the condition of the tree, 

 or any particular part of the tree. If from any 

 cause it appears weak and the growths do not push 

 away freely, disbudding should be delayed until the 

 sap becomes more active, as the removal of a number 

 of buds or young shoots, while it is in a weak state, 

 stagnates the fluids, and still further checks, if it 

 does not seriously injure, the tree. Vigorous trees, 

 on the other hand, are always fit for disbudding by 

 the time the young fruit begins to push off the re- 

 mains of the blossoms. Sometimes a few foreright 

 shoots may be removed from the leading branches at 

 an earlier date, particularly if they are likely to be- 

 come too strong or rob the weaker parts of the tree. 

 If the bearing wood in extension-trained trees was 

 properly thinned at the autumn pruning, it will be 

 necessary to select a well-placed promising young 

 growth near the base, others fifteen inches- apart, and 



the terminal bud for future training. All the others 

 may be taken off by degrees, the foreright and back 

 shoots first, then after a short interval one-half of 

 those left may be removed, and finally the remainder. 



The operation of disbudding from the beginning to 

 the finish generally occupies about three weeks ; the 

 first part is performed with the fingers, and the latter 

 part, as the shoots gain strength, with a sharp knife. 

 If any of the young shoots which it is necessary to 

 remove have fruit set at the base, they should be cut 

 or pinched back to three or four leaves at first, and 

 finally removed with a sharp knife after the fruit is 

 thinned. When the trees get into free growth, all 

 the shoots which have been carefully retained, par- 

 ticularly those near the base of the bearing wood, 

 should be neatly heeled in with soft matting. The 

 first tie should be made very near the base or junction 

 with the parent shoot, and it should be drawn as 

 tight as safety will admit to secure a straight branch 

 when the fruit-bearing shoot is cut away. When 

 all the base shoots have been heeled in, an ex- 

 perienced person should go over the trees to remove 

 any of the intermediate growths that are likely to 

 interfere with the full development and extension of 

 those originating at the base, and to pinch any that 

 are likely to become too vigorous. Particular atten- 

 tion should be devoted to this final thinning, as it is 

 a prevalent error to tie in more shoots than are 

 wanted to furnish the tree. All goes well until by 

 degrees the foliage becomes crowded, and never gets 

 dry after the afternoon syringing ; the wood is weak, 

 elongated, and shut out from the consolidating in- 

 fluence of the sun and light, and the fruit is pale, 

 flavourless, and watery. Unfortunately, the result of 

 this mismanagement does not end here. This over- 

 crowded set of shoots is furnished with imperfectly- 

 formed buds, which drop either before or after they 

 open, while vigorous trees, relieved of the load they 

 ought to carry, become gross and require lifting, 

 generally called root-pruning. 



When strong young trees furnished with more 

 wood-buds than fruit-buds start into growth, dis- 

 budding may be commenced as soon as they begin 

 to move, always beginning at the top and work- 

 ing gradually down to the base where the flush 

 of sap is less powerful, and the growth naturally 

 later. In course of time well-managed old trees be- 

 come very floriferous, the blossom-buds being out of 

 all proportion to the wood-buds. These trees as a 

 rule set an enormous number of fruit, which after- 

 wards have to be rubbed off at what may be termed 

 preliminary thinnings ; and though the work is car- 

 ried on with the early disbudding, it is much better 

 to remove them before they open, as the flowering 

 process alone is in this case an unnecessary tax upon 

 the trees. The best way to perform this is to go 



