48 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



October, and be either placed in a new position, according to size and 

 vigour, or be regulated in their former positions and refreshed with new 

 soil to work in. We prefer, however, to make an entirely new plantation 

 with the old trees elsewhere, and to substitute (after a year's fallow or 

 inter-crop) a fresh lot of trees altogether to fill up the ground thus left 

 empty. This gives a chance of renewing the old stale soil, and also of 

 introducing new or desired varieties. 



Where, however, the garden is limited, only half of the old trees 

 should be operated on in one season in order to lessen the chance of an 

 entire failure in the supply ; but the old removed trees will after a season's 

 growth more than reward the operator for any trouble he has taken with 

 them. 



So far as cordons on walls are concerned, we should prefer to replant 

 entirely, remaking the borders at the same time, as new trees can be pur- 

 chased in a forward state at a cheap rate, as severe measures frequently 

 prove unsuccessful. 



AYith old Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots it is far best to destroy 

 them outright and start with young trees. In all good gardens a reserve 

 of young free trees is maintained, so that a gap can be filled at once by a 

 vigorous, healthy subject of three to five years' growth, which itself is all 

 the better for the check it receives in removal. 



In the Society's Journal, vol. xxv., p. 363, a wonderful drawing is 

 given of a large trained Pear tree which was so successfully renovated by 

 rooting the lower branches that the main and original stem could be dis- 

 pensed with. In other words, the tree first had one, then three sources of 

 root nutriment, and finally two. 



In all cases new soil should be introduced to the roots. Good, sound, 

 turfy loam is better than heavily manured soil ; and if stimulant be neces- 

 sary it is best supplied as a top dressing. 



There is yet another way of dealing with old overgrown pyramid trees. 

 After two years of free growth, as before named, the resulting shoots can 

 he tied into a frame, and made to assume a set form ; thus treated they 

 fruit freely, and the branches being secured the fruit is not bruised by 

 the winds. 



It should be mentioned that where large trees are headed back the 

 new shoots are very strong, and must be duly nailed in or otherwise 

 secured ; and if a second lateral growth should be formed from the lower 

 eyes, it should be pinched at the third leaf to encourage fruit buds to form. 



Very old Figs often get bare below, and far too crowded at the top 

 of the wall. These should have the large coarse boughs cut away at 

 the base, and the best of the resulting new shoots be nailed into the wall. 



It is a great mistake to let Figs carry too much wood, and they more 

 often suffer from over-manuring than the reverse. In fact, where they 

 root into the vegetable borders it is as well to make a trench two feet wide 

 and three feet deep, and fill this with broken bricks, porous stone, loam, 

 and old mortar rubbish. The roots revel in this material, and the trees 

 lay up good, hard, sound, fruitful wood. 



Though the Grape scarcely comes under notice in this paper, old vines 

 can be safely cut back, where the precaution of leading up one or two 

 long rodfl from the base of the cane has been previously taken. But it 



