390 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 15, 1884 
This novel piece of engineering was effected without any apparent injury 
to the tree; an opening was made through which the Duke of Portland 
■drove a carriage and six horses, and three horsemen could ride abreast. 
This arch is 10 feet 3 inches high and 6 feet 3 inches wide. A cabinet made 
from the excavated Oak wood for the Countess of Oxford is one of the 
curiosities of Welbeck Abb-y (the seat of the Duke of Portland). It is 
•ornamented with a representation of the grand old tree, which is now 
shored and supported against the elements, before which it must ere long 
succumb. The Spread Oak of Thoresby extends its arms over 180 feet of 
ground, and can give shelter to one thousand horsemen. In the hollow of 
Major Oak seven persons have dined with comfort, and that is of course 
impossible without unrestricted elbow-room. This tree is remarkably 
perfect in form, the true type of a sturdy Oak that is still prepared to brave 
the battle and the breeze. The Parliament Oak is a more decrepit 
patriarch of Sherwood Forest; it is supported by friendly artificial aids, 
and its trunk is now split in twain—symbol, it might be said, of the 
Government and Opposition, which are the life of the system whose name 
it bears.—( Forestry.) 
Cats in Gardens. —Everybody who has a garden knows how attractive 
and fascinating some plants are for cats — such as Valeriana Phu and 
Nemophila. Can any of your contributors give me the names of any 
plants, perenmal or annual, to which cats have a repugnance, and which 
would tend to repel their constant invasion of my flower beds ?—G. 0. S. 
ip WORK fouthe'WEEK..< 
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HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 
Summer pruning .—This consists in removing the tender young lateral 
growths at the third or fourth leaf from the base to form fruiting spurs, 
and as it is usually done with a thumb and forefinger, it is somewhat 
incorrectly termed pinching. Let not beginners be misled by the term, 
for the shoots are not pinched or bruised, but are taken off with a clean 
nip. Pears, Plums, and Currants are all sufficiently advanced for the 
first pruning, but only strong healthy trees should be done ; all weak or 
sickly trees should have the growth left entirely unchecked till health 
and vigour are fully restored. Young unformed trees require stopping 
Loth in branch and stem, as well as in the lateral or side shoots, our aim 
being to waste none of the main growths upon undue and useless exten¬ 
sion, but to nip off the tips at every 12 or 14 inches to induce the buds 
to start into growth to furnish the stem with branches and the branches 
with spurs, so that when autumn approaches again the only clean un¬ 
pruned growth will be the last shoots of the year. Let no time be lost, 
theD, with young trees now, if till the middle of August we wish so to 
guide the growth that a gain of two years may be effected over what 
would happen if the growth were left unchecked. After that time we 
prefer to discontinue the nipping, and consider the advice often given to 
•continue it throughout the season of growth as erroneous and mischievous, 
late nipping inducing much abortive growth, soft and unripened from 
buds that should remain dormant till the following spring. 
Disbudding .—Do not stop all shoots alike. Some will be crowded, and 
then disbudding must be resorted to, and enough shoots removed to allow 
the full play of light and air around those which are retained and stopped. 
Here, again, sound judgment is requisite to enable one to discriminate 
between trees of robust and vigorous habit requiring extra space for each 
branch and spur, and those of medium vigour, where the growth may 
advantageously be left thicker. The fruit of Peaches and Nectarines is 
now set and swelling freely, disbudding may therefore be done—gradually 
where the foliage is much blistered, quickly where the shoots are healthy 
and strong. Retain no useless growth. Nothing can be more unwise 
than to lay in a number of lateral growths now, most of which must be 
pruned in winter. Our object is to keep the tree well furnished with 
fruitmg wood over the entire space of wall assigned to it, and to supply 
new growth from a point as near the base as possible. Assist both 
fruit and wood growth with frequent waterings of sewage, tie and nail 
young growth as it gains length, and see that no noxiouslnsects take to 
the foliage. 
Now is the time to apply sewage freely among bush fruit and Straw¬ 
berries ; let this be done with do sparing hand, but take care that enough 
is given each time to reach all the roots. The master’s eye is much 
required while this work is proceeding, careless or idle workmen often 
shirking the thorough performance of this and other work. Leaf, fruit, 
and branch are now in full activity of growth, making demands upon the 
soil that quickly exhaust its store of nutriment, hence our urgent advice 
to pour on sewage or liquid manure unsparingly to assist the growth and 
eo promote its full developement. Bear in mind how great must be the 
strain upon a tree or bush in full bearing ; in the brief space of four or 
five months it has to mature a crop of fruit and to make new growth 
and fruit buds for next season’s crop. Whether this be well done or not 
very much depends upon a full strong flow of sap from the time when 
root-action begins onwards throughout the season of growth. There 
must be no lack of fertility in the soil, no drought, no diseased foliage, no 
crowded growth, no overcropping, all of these being matters which come 
fully within the scope of our work, and are mentioned as being preventible 
by the exercise of due care, skill, and timely forethought. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Figs — Early Trees in Pots —When the first crop is gathered, as will 
soon be the case from trees started in November, a return will need to be 
made to the treatment of trees swelling off their crops. Should red spider 
have appeared, which is not improbable, the leaves must be thoroughly 
washed on their under surface with an insecticide at a safe strength, and 
the trees forcibly syringed twice a day. The loose portion of the mulch¬ 
ing can be removed, and short partially decayed manure supplied with 
clear liquid manure. Where the second crop has set thickly, as it wi’l on 
free-bearing sorts such as Brown Turkey, Negro Largo, &c., which 
always force well, the embyro fruit must be thinned liberally, as it is 
important the trees be not too much exhausted by carrying a heavy second 
crop, or they will not rest early enough or be able to carry a good first 
early crop another season. Growth after this will necessitate frequent 
attention to stopping and training, as the best coloured and flavoured fruits 
are always produced on vigorous shoots fully exposed to sun and light. 
Succession Houses. —When the fruit begins swelling a higher tempera¬ 
ture and drier atmosphere will hasten the ripening, but care must be taken 
to afford liberal supplies of tepid liquid manure to the roots, and syringing 
regularly twice a day, as any sudden check will prove highly injurious to 
the fruit. As the crop approaches ripening it is not advisable to wet the 
fruit if it can be avoided, but a good atmospheric moisture can be secured 
by keeping the mulching, walls, and paths properly damped, and the 
moisture can be kept from injuring the fruit by maintaining a gentle 
circulation of air by the employment of gentle fire heat. In a hot and 
dry house the Fig soon becomes infested with red spider and scale, and 
the wood stunted, the trees rest because they are exhausted, and the 
second crop is weak and rusty in appearance; but fed liberally, ventilated 
freely wdth heat, and syringed each time they are cleared of the ripe fruit, 
and they will then keep healthy and able to carry good second crops of 
fruit—nay, they become perpetual bearers. To keep a Fig in continual 
bearing it must, of course, be constantly growing, and for this reason the 
extension system is eligible, as the leading shoots are allowed to extend 
without stopping until they reach the extremity of the trellis, when they 
are cut away to make room for others succeeding them. 
Figs in Unheated Houses. —These, notwithstanding the recent cold 
weather, are showing plenty of fruit, and in the event of a fine summer 
will prove very acceptable in August and September. Figs in all cases 
should be confined to reasonable limits at the roots, and assuming these 
are inside the house, with the borders well drained with broken bricks 
and old mortar rubbish—materials upon which they seem to thrive 
—the treatment recommended for succession houses will apply to these ; 
only, in cloudy weather the afternoon syringing should be dispensed with, 
whilst in bright weather it should be performed early, with the sun heat 
shut in to insure the drying of the foliage before night. In such struc¬ 
tures the shoots should be trained a good distance apart, so as to admit 
light and air freely to the growths, and close stopping should be avoided, 
as it tends to the production of useless spray and late growths, which do 
not get properly ripened before the leaves fall. The safe plan is to 
procure short-jointed wood. 
Pines. —Now that the sun has considerable power means should be 
adopted to fully utilise its best influences, but in doing so proper care 
must be bestowed on the ventilation, which, when there is the prospect of 
a fine day, should be attended to early in the morning, because there 
cannot be too much moisture about Pine plants, but it must be dispelled 
from the plants before powerful sun operates fully upon them. In order 
to maintain a good condition of moisture about the plants, moisten all 
available surfaces about the house freely whenever they become dry, 
especially at closing time, which should be sufficiently early in the after¬ 
noon to keep the temperature at 85° to 90° for some time afterwards. 
Syringing will be needed almost daily in bright dry weather, and when 
the plants are growing they should never be allowed to be without water 
in the axils of the leaves, as many feeding roots exist around the stems 
of the Pine plants,'which can only derive support from the moisture in the 
axils of the leaves. Be careful not to let any plants become dry at the 
roots, and when needed give thorough supplies with some guano in the 
water or other stimulating agent, being careful to apply it in a tepid state, 
and avoid giving too powerful doses. In very bright weather a slight 
shade will be useful -where the plants are in houses with large panes of 
glass for two or three hours at mid-day, but the thinner the better; all 
that is necessary is to prevent the sun from scorching the leaves or fruit. 
Employ no more fire heat than is absolutely necessary to maintain the 
requisite temperature for fruiting and other plants, 70° to 75° at night for 
fruiters, and 80° to 85° by day; other plants 5° to 10° less. 
Cherry House. —The recent sunless weather has somewhat retarded 
the fruit, but the most forward are now ripe, and the main crop very 
nearly so ; therefore, with a view to give colour and quality, ventilate a 
little constantly, and whenever external conditions are favourable ventilate 
freely. Be careful not to wet the fruit, but maintain a moderate degree 
of mi isture in the house by damping available surfaces occasionally. As 
the growths elongate and need tying-in do so, allowing plenty of room in 
the ties for the swelling of the shoots, and stop all growths not required 
at the fourth or fifth leaf. During cold sunless weather keep a gentle 
warmth in the pipes so as to allow a circulation of warm dry air, and it 
will also be needed on cold nights. Keep a sharp look out for aphides. 
Strawberries in Pots. —At this season forcing Strawberries is under 
