December 27, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
559 
making a magnificent cane, the pride and glory of the cultivator. At the 
next pruning this is shortened again to within about 3 feet from whence 
it started, the side spurs being cut as close as possible to the main rods, 
and huge bunches of exhibition Grapes are expected. But they are not 
produced, and the disappointed grower “ cannot understand it.” “ Look 
at this growth,” said a good gardener to me the year before last, “ did 
you ever see better? Look at the foliage, did you ever see finer? But,” 
and this in a despairing tone, “ look at the fruit, did you ever see worse? 
I can’t make it out; they will come all right, I daresay. I think they 
must, but I wanted some fine fruit this year and have none. I wanted a 
few, only a few, handsome bunches and large berries, and here they are 
ugly clusters and small berries. I can’t make it out.” He had simply 
cut off all the best fruit-producing growth. At the next pruning he left 
some of the strong canes, they were nearly 3 inches in circumference, 
8 feet, shortening the others as usual, and in every case the former 
produced by far the best fruit this summer, and are in every respect in 
as good condition for future use as those that were cut needlessly close. 
Had the canes been weak, not more than an inch in diameter, then the 
pruning adopted would have been right. 
Then as regards the laterals of older Vines, I know nothing, about 
those not pruned acting as “ miniature sap reservoirs,” but I know that 
the best buds on weak laterals will give the best bunches and stronger 
growths; and do not these stronger growths excite correspondingly 
stronger root-action ? Here I should be at issue with your correspondent 
when he says “ very little is gained by selecting and pruning to large 
buds,” did he not in the next sentence, in adducing evidence to prove 
his point, somewhat curiously succeed in demolishing it. “At pruning 
time,” I read on page 523, “reserve a few ripened laterals their full 
length, shortening others to three or four buds, and others again to the 
first bud. Unless I am much mistaken those left the longest will pro¬ 
duce strong bunches, the next smaller bunches, and the remaining shoots 
will, perhaps, be without any bunches.” Exactly. This proves the case 
against himself, for in all the Vines I have seen which produced laterals 
that were stopped in the usual manner, the leaves and axillary buds the 
farthest from the rod that bore the best bunches were the strongest, those 
close to it being the weakest, and hence “ perhaps without bunches.” 
With this I agree, having seen the best results follow when the practice 
has been applied to weak Vines ; with the strong short-jointed and free- 
bearing sorts it is not required. The next sentence immediately follow¬ 
ing the one quoted is quite above me. There is no doubt profound 
wisdom lurking somewhere in the four lines, but I cannot dig it out. 
The remarks bearing on pruning vigorous-growing and shy-bearing 
varieties are very sound, and ought to be remembered by those who fail 
in producing satisfactory crops by the stereotyped close pruning, Even 
the usually free-bearing Grapes that, from whatever cause, make very 
long-jointed wood will afford far better crops if regarded as “ shy ” 
bearers and pruned accordingly, for the basal buds of such Vines are 
usually fruitless. 
Your correspondent gives a well-merited rebuke to the irrational 
practice of scraping all the bark off Vine rods. Polished rods seldom 
break freely and regularly. The bark is an absorbent of moisture and 
a non-conductor of heat. Moisture that is conducive to free sap-move¬ 
ment rs thus provided, while the fluidity of the sap is kept uniform, as it 
cannot be under sudden fluctuations of temperature as often occur 
during bright sunny days and clear frosty nights. 
Just one other point I would notice. Equally with Mr. Iggulden I 
am glad to see that the practice of dressing the rods with “ obnoxious 
materials is becoming obsolete,” therefore it is, I presume, that he daubs 
the stems with a very pleasant, sweet, agreeable, and clean compound of 
clay and tar. I find no fault with him for using this, to him, delightful 
mixture, if he cannot extirpate the insects in any other way. I have 
never found it necessary, and have had more than one successfu 1 battle 
with the gardener’s enemy the mealy bug. I consider tar “ obnoxious 
but tastes differ.— Ipswich. 
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13 WOKK.F0fi.THEWEEK.. 1 
HARDY BRUIT GARDEN. 
Failures. —At the end of the year we may usefully give attention to 
faults of practice and causes of failure, with a view both to prevention 
and cure, so far as it is possible in the new year. Soil difficulties are 
among the more prominent evils commonly met with. Poor and shallow, 
or heavy, cold soils and very retentive of moisture, are the faults so 
frequently complained of by correspondents. That is why we define so 
clearly and repeatedly the preparation of stations ; and as a safe test for 
general guidance we repeat here that soil which will produce good 
vegetables answers admirably for fruit. Only remember that the actual 
station of each tree must be 2 feet deep of the fertile soil. Very few 
gardens have good soil so deep, however rich it may be at the surface. 
Make stations 6 feet square of it resting upon a substratum of 6 inches 
of broken stones rammed hard, or better still of concrete, connect each 
station with the garden drains by a 2-inch drain, and then you will 
have done all that is necessary to insure success so far as soil affects 
it. If the trees are planted in a kitchen garden the subsequent culture 
of the soil surrounding the stations for the vegetables insures a 
further provision of food for the roots as they spread into it from the 
stations ; but in an orchard due care must be taken to enrich the 
soil between the stations in the third or fourth year after planting, or 
the trees will inevitably sustain a check, debility will then soon follow, 
canker will appear and spread with more or less rapidity, and will 
kill outright many delicate sorts of Apples and Pears. To prevent 
tbia by timely attention is far more commendable than any subsequent 
remedy however good it may be. 
Pruning. —Faulty pruning is another source of mischief. To prune, 
or not to prune, may well be a moot point for those who cannot give 
the correct reason for every stroke of the knife. Excessive wood 
growth from inattention to root-pruning ; crowded growth from a too 
frequent use of the knife and insufficient thinning; abortive growth 
from pruning too late in autumn, are some of the evils resultant from 
ignorance or carelessness in this important matter. To the amateur 
who keeps no skilful gardener, and is himself ignorant of pruning, we 
say, Plant dwarf bushes or standards if you have thorough shelter, and 
only prune sufficiently to admit air and light freely among the branches. 
Pear Failures. —Of a list of twenty-five sorts of Pears recently sent us 
eight had proved very good, seven good, and ten worthless. This is a 
common result of Pear trials, but it must not he forgotten that the fruit of 
so-called worthless sorts makes a delicious “ sweet ” when stewed, and it 
should always be turned to account for that popular and wholesome dish 
stewed Pears, which with plain boiled rice we may especially commend 
to the attention of any of our readers suffering from dyspepsia. Trees of 
worthless sorts may also be headed back, and grafted with any of the 
good ones, for which purpose let grafts be saved now and thrust into the 
ground to keep fresh. Do not, however, hastily condemn a Pear because 
its fruit keeps obstinately hard and will not ripen, but first remove some 
of the fruit to a warm room, a few degrees of heat often very soon setting 
matters right and making us regard so-called worthless sorts as treasures 
rich and rare. 
Arrears of Worh. —Turn all favourable weather to account for pushing 
on all seasonable work of pruning, planting, training, and feeding. Look 
closely over all established trees, remove faulty labels and supply new ones, 
renew supports, and see that no wire stays are overgrown or are clasping 
the trees too closely. Much evil arises from inattention to this matter, the 
growth of a vigorous young tree often swelling over and burying its wfire 
fastenings in the bark. Do not forget to leave all Filberts and Cob nuts 
unpruned till the pink brush-like female blossom is impregnated with 
pollen, which is likely to be plentiful, for the catkins or male flowers are 
very abundant. Young Nut trees not yet hearing fruit may be pruned at 
once. Retain only six to nine main branches upon each tree, and tie these 
entwined to pegs driven into the ground, so as to gradually impart the 
form of a shallow' basin to them. Our fully grown trees so trained are 
now upwards of 30 feet in circumference, yet none of the branches are 
more than 4 feet high, and the trees planted by us some thirteen years 
ago, have long been without training or supports of any kind. 
FRUIT-FORCING. 
Vines. — Early Vines in Pots. —Those that were started early in 
November are well advanced for flowering, and will need a night 
temperature of 60° to 65°, and 70° to 75° by day, with an advance from 
sun heat to 80° or 85°, admitting a little air above 70°, hut being careful to 
avoid cold currents, and close early in the afternoon. If the external air 
be cold and sharp it will he advisable to have some wool netting tacked 
over the ventilators to break the force of the otherwise cold air that would 
pass into the house. The shoots will ere this have been stopped two or 
three joints beyond the bunches, and the laterals allowed to make headway; 
or, if the space prevents their extension, they should be stopped at the 
first leaf, and so on as produced, but where there is space extension should 
be allowed. If the pots are plunged in a bed of leaves these should he 
added to as necessary, so as to keep the heat about the pots steady at from 
70° to 75°. Some turves may be placed on the surface of the pots, and 
hanging over the sides on the fermenting material, and being kept in moist 
condition with waterings of tepid liquid manure the roots will find their 
way over the rims of the pots into the fermenting material, and with those 
issuing from the holes in the pots will he a means of support far in advance 
of those -which have the roots restricted to the pots. In the latter case 
top-dressing will need to be given frequently. Employ short manure for 
the purpose, and every time water is required it should be given abundantly 
with weak tepid liquid manure. Damp the house morning and afternoon 
in bright weather, otherwise little beyond that afforded by the fermenting 
materials will be needed ; but where these are not employed damping must 
be more frequent; and, if there are evaporation troughs keep them filled 
with weak liquid manure, with which the floors may be damped in the 
afternoon. 
Earliest Forced Vines. —The planted-out Vines that were started in 
November are growing freely, and, the show of fruit being good, dis¬ 
budding must be proceeded with, leaving the most promising and removing 
those not required by degrees, but no more growths should be allowed to 
remain than can have full exposure to light and air. Allow the shoots to 
make two or three joints or more beyond the bunches if there be space, 
and stop the laterals below fruit to one joint; above they may be allowed 
to extend according to the space, being careful to make provision for the 
due exposure of the principal foliage. The night temperature should now 
range from 60° to 65°, with a rise of 5° to 10° by day, and a little higher 
with sun heat. Lose no opportunity of admitting air in mild weather, as 
