36 



GLEANINGS ON HORTICULTURE. 



the produce of reserved shoots. Remove them when getting 

 crowded, and prefer the young spray springing from the upper 

 portion of a branch (called Seymour's system) to that which 

 springs from the under side. Pursue a systematic course in these 

 operations; and the eye should be directed to the grosser parts 

 of the tree, or they soon become confused. In earlier disbud- 

 ding, when shoots present themselves of a doubtful character, 

 there is no occasion to be over nice, but to reserve them for final 

 thinning, and pinch off the points of some of the growing 

 shoots. After a slight disbudding, certain gross shoots thrust 

 themselves forth, caused by close pruning ; for in the olden times 

 they were cut back to two or three eyes in October, having ram- 

 bled unstopped through the Summer, instead of being stopped 

 in May; and in case these rods again appear, the tree must be 

 root-pruned. Therefore, pinch off by times those shoots which 

 show a disposition to shoot into lateral branches. This will 

 manifest itself by the time they are about six inches in length, 

 and will occur from the first week in May to the beginning of 

 June. All shoots which commence branching off into side 

 spray-wood, should have their points pinched oflF merely at the 

 extreme end, except in a young tree beginning to acquire 

 strength, when they should be permitted to ramble, in order to 

 get a good root action, and to have the wall soon covered. 

 Stopping established trees is to equalize the sap, that the fruit 

 and all the subordinate parts of the tree may be duly supplied 

 with nutriment. 



Nail down shoots which do not overshadow others, and take 

 care to stop them when about eight or nine inches long : secure 

 two pairs of them — others are not worth saving. If shoots 

 having fruit at the foot are growing very strong, and have pro- 

 duced as much as one foot in length, shorten their tops by 

 pinching them in the first week in August. Do not cut out two- 

 year-old wood. Now, if possible, try and lay in as many of the 

 annual shoots as arc requisite : all really surplus ones must be 

 removed, or cut back to a couple of leaves. In May and August, 

 the general stopping of peaches and nectarines should take place : 

 it is a most essential point of culture, having a direct tendency 

 to moderate that extreme vigour of roots, which at this period of 

 the year, through the influence of a high ground temperature, is 

 apt to produce late growths, especially if the soil is rich, and 

 the roots are at a considerable depth. 



Another object is accomplished by stopping. Rapid growth 



