560 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF GARDENING. 



As tlie tree increases in size any branches which cross 

 others, or tend to grow inwards, must be removed or 

 shortened back to a suitably placed bud. All shoots having 

 a tendency to become gross and over-luxuriant should be 

 stopped or rubbed off in summer. The fan-trained tree is 

 the one to be preferred for wall planting, as in the event of 

 a branch dying, which is liable to occur occasionally, it is 

 more quickly replaced than upon a horizontally-trained tree. 

 Mr. Rivers slates "that Plums form most fertile oblique 

 cordons. No matter how the shoots are pinched, they will 

 produce remarkably fine crops of fruit, and continue to bear 

 in spite of excessive pinching, forming cylinders of fruit. 

 Their worst tendency is to excessive growth, which must be 

 checked by root pruning." 



The fruit of the Plum is borne upon natural spurs, 

 which form on the ends and along the sides of the bearing 

 shoots from one to three years old generally, though 

 fruit is not produced before two years. Young shoots 

 should be laid 111 upon old naked branches, and between 

 these where there is room ; old and weakened branches 

 ought to be cul out il there is sufficient young wood 

 to replace them. When spurs project too far from the 

 wall they must he shortened back, otherwise they cannot 

 take advantage of the warmth and shelter of the latter. 

 During summer those shoots which push upon the front 

 and back of the branches need removing (unless there is 

 an empty space to be filled) ; other side shoots not needed 

 to form branches should be pinched after half-a-dozen 

 leaves have formed, to be reduced at the winter pruning 

 to encourage the forrnation of fruit buds. 



Rem ive wood that is weak and improperly ripened. As 

 a proper distribution of the sap to all parts of the tree is 

 necessary to the health and fruitfulness of the latter, the 

 cultivator should do his utmost to bring about such a 

 condition. This is greatly assisted by equalising the 

 amount ol foliage throughout the tree. If left to them- 

 selves the shoots on the upper blanches will naturally grow 

 more freely than the lower ones, and soon cause the latter 

 to become weak and eventually useless. To avoid this, 

 when summer pruning the upper shoots must be. first 

 stopped, and also more severely than those towards the 

 bottom of the tree. 



Gathering the Fruit.— Dessert Plums ought to be 

 allowed to hang on the tree until quite ripe. The delicate 

 bloom of the lruits is easilv rubbed off if these are not 

 gathered very carefully : (he sialk only of the fruit should 

 be taken hold ol. Some late varieties, of which Coe's 

 Golden Drop is one ol the best, will keep for some time if 

 carefully gathered, wrapped in tissue paper, and placed in 

 a dry, cool, airy n k mi. 



Though the varieties of the Plum are now so numerous, 

 cerlain of the older sorts still hold their own, and many of 

 them are not surpassed by more recent introductions. Those 

 upon which we depend for our early supply are Rivers' 

 Early Favourite, a dark purple, juicy Plum, ripe in July 

 (perhaps the earliest of all), and Early Green Gage, followed 

 by Angelina Burdett, a round, purple fruit ; Early Trans- 

 parent Gage, Denniston's Superb, a most delicious Plum, 

 bearing well as a standard ; Green Gage,' Jefferson, one of 

 the best for dessert, of a beautiful golden yellow colour, 

 mottled with red; Kirke's, a deep purple; and Transparent 

 G;ige, considered to be the finest of this section. Coe's 

 Golden Drop, Golden Transparent Gage (Rivers'), Bryanston 

 Green Gage, Ickworth Imperatrice, Nouvelle de Dorelle, 

 and Reine Claude de Bavay, a large, highly-flavoured 

 variety of the Green Gage, form a selection of our 

 best late Plums. Eor culinary purposes Autumn Compote, 

 Pond's Seedling, Victoria, White Magnum Bonum, Belle 

 de Septembre, and Earge Black Imperial are six of the 

 most useful. 



THE VINE. 



Much has from time to lime been written about the 

 Grape Vine, but new and inexperienced gardeners are 

 constantly increasing, so that to them these notes will prove 

 doubtless of some value. 



The Border. — The Grape Vine, when in suitable 

 condition, grows very freely, and requires during its growing 



season abundant supplies of water. From this, then, it 

 follows that the border must be of sufficient size to properly 

 accommodate the far-reaching roots, and water, when 

 applied, must pass away readily. It is impossible to suc- 

 cessfully cultivate the Vine in a border of heavy and sour 

 soil, through the presence of stagnant water ; therefore 

 provide good drainage. Most cultivators agree that the 

 border should be from 2lt. to 3ft. ; anything either deeper 

 or shallower than this is not advisable. 



Presuming that a glasshouse measuring 15ft. wide by 40ft. 

 long is to be planted with Vines, the first thing to do would 

 be to remove the present soil to I he depth of 3ft. for a 

 distance of, say, 4ft. from the front of the house. For the 

 first year a border 3ft. wide will Ire sufficient, so this dis- 

 tance should be marked off. In the bottom of the border 

 have drain-pipes, placed so as to form rows about 4ft. apart 

 along the whole length of the border, and sloping to the 

 front of the house, where they should communicate with a 

 main drain. Over these place gin. of brick rubble, to 

 be again covered with two layers of turves, grass side 

 downwards. 



To complete the border, provide a sufficient quantity 

 of maiden loam, chopped roughly, to fill up to the required 

 level, a few barrow-loads of lime rubble, and a good 

 sprinkling of iin. bones, to be mixed in with the soil as 

 the binder is made. Tread the soil firmly as it is filled 

 in, and the outside layer should consist of turves, firmly 

 placed, so as to strengthen the bed and keep the loose soil 

 in position. The soil, when being used, must be neither 

 too wet nor too dry. A few days before it is required, mix 

 it as advised above, and at that time give it sufficient water 

 to render the whole suitably moist. When this operation is 

 completed, ift. of space between the old border and the 

 new one will still remain. The following year, if the con- 

 dition of the roots of the young Vines warrants such a pro- 

 ceeding, this space, or more if necessary, should be filled 

 with new material for them to push into, and more ol the 

 old soil removed, so as still to leave an opening between 

 the two borders. 



This is considered a far belter arrangement than that 

 of making an entirely new border. Plant N ines in an 

 inside rather than an outside border, for the temperature of 

 the former is much more regular than that of the latter, 

 and it is also capable of being more directly controlled, 

 so far as watering is concerned. The outside border 

 requires far less attention in litis respect, for it receives 

 the lull I enefit of the rain, which is far better than 

 the hard water so often applied to inside borders. 

 Examine the border outside a year or two after the Vines 

 have been planted, and if any roots appear to be making 

 their way through the arches in the foundation wall of the 

 house encourage them by adding new soil. 



Planting". — Vines may be either planted whilst in 

 growth, or when dormant. The former method should be 

 adopted whenever possible, and endeavour to have the 

 Vines planted by the end of the month of June, before the 

 canes have completed their growth. Then they have an 

 opportunity of becoming, in some measure, established in 

 the new soil before winter, and will be, therefore, in proper 

 condition to make a good start when the growing season 

 returns again in spring. But it is olten more convenient to 

 plant the Vines when dormant, and this method is prac- 

 tised by many growers, with perhaps equally good results, 

 although the former is the better plan where it. can be 

 adopted. Vines in a growing condition are best planted 

 (when ready) as soon as possible, but dormant plants may 

 be planted in November, or any period between then and 

 the month of March. 



With regard to the proper distance at which to plant, 

 several points must be considered. If the vinery to be 

 planted be one for early forcing, then it will not be necessary 

 to leave so large a space between the rods as when the 

 plants are intended for a mid-season or later vinery. The 

 growths made during the early and comparatively sunless 

 months of the year will not be so vigorous, and will con- 

 sequently not require so much room as the shoots of Vines 

 allowed to break almost naturally. 



The variety must also be thought of, some growing 



