GLEANINGS ON HORTICULTURE. 



35 



in all cases to be pertbnued hy instalments. We do not wish to 

 make it appear a tedious process ; but we may say, that for those 

 amateurs who are masters of their time, and enjoy gardening 

 pursuits, it would be well to perform a little dail//. In commenc- 

 ing to disbud a peach-tree (for the nectarine treatment may be 

 merged in this), the first care is to rub off all those coarse-look- 

 ing young shoots which stand straight out from the wall, and 

 look as though they were ambitious of becoming individual trees. 

 We consider that the free production of these is by no means to 

 be deprecated ; they merely denote a very healthy root action, 

 not onl}' at the present time, but one of a I'etrospective cha- 

 racter. All they want is judicious management, and a little 

 adroitness, to turn the flow of sap into more legitimate courses. 

 After slipping off such shoots with the finger and thumb, the 

 next point is to see if any young spray is growing behind the 

 old twigs, in a position to become distorted or crushed between 

 the branches and the wall. These also must be rubbed off ; but 

 be it understood, such operations are not obliged to be completed 

 in one day ; they may be made to extend over a whole fortnight. 

 Another caution here becomes necessary : — If any vacant spaces 

 exist on the contiguous parts of the wall, some of these crooked 

 portions must be retained ; for it is better to have a shoot of this 

 character than a barren portion of walling. 



These things being duly carried out, the next thing is to see 

 if even good-looking and well-placed young shoots are not too 

 much crowded. This is sure to be the case if the tree be 

 healthy; and here comes the tug of war — here it is that much 

 discretion and intelligence of a prospective character is requisite. 

 Our practice is to commence at the extremity of every shoot or 

 branch, tracing it from thence downwards. We first remove 

 every side shoot of the young spray which appears likely to enter 

 into competition with the leader; and this will in general cause i 

 every young shoot within four inches of the point to be stripped /! 

 off. No two shoots of young spray should grow side by side, if 

 possible ; they should, at the ultimate thinning or disbudding, stand 

 in a regular series successively, from the collar to the extremities, 

 all over the tree. Still, as I before observed, this cannot be finally 

 accomplished until after the lapse of many weeks. 



One point of great importance we here would impress — to be /| 

 sure and reserve the lowest growing young spray all over the ,/ 

 tree, which prevents it being naked. Of course, in fan -training, )! 

 blanks will at times occur, and these must be kept filled up by 



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