August 5 18S-6. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Ill 
wood buds. Assuming that we get fruit buds on the extremity, and they 
escape collapsing with the wood if the winter be severe, they may 
develope blossoms with splendid petals, beautiful to look at, but look 
inside—the stamens have no anthers, they shrivel when brought to the 
light of day; having no pollen, the pistils have styles scarcely extend¬ 
ing beyond the nec ary ; have twin or triple pistils ; the blossoms 
do not, as a rule, set, what sets does not swell, and that swelling does not 
stone. Now for the “ ripe hard wood ” buds at the base. The fruit is 
there or nowhere, and that no one knows better than “ A Thinker.” He 
only wanted to show the evil of the extension system overdone, and its 
inapplicability to the Peach and other fruit trees outdoors without atten¬ 
tion to the prevention of over-luxuriance, for he states, “ the less the 
branches are shortened the better, after the first year or two from planting, 
provided—and this is important—they are so thinly disposed that sun and 
air can act directly on the foliage. It is assumed the roots are in good 
and well drained soil, and not mutilated by digging amongst them.” 
The lesson to be drawn from this is, Peaches, Nectarines, Figs, Apricots, 
and the better varieties of Plums, with the tender Cherries, are all better 
grown under glass. It is the only way to have fruit equal to the accept¬ 
able standard in size and quality with certainty in cold localities, and in 
most of those where the extension system is practised. This is a safe 
solution of the problem why we have so' much bare wall space now. We 
provide strong wood, and long wood, known as extension, only to find 
that it requires more heat, more light and air, for its solidification than 
obtained under the old system, and which our climate at no time aff orded, 
si that our old gardeners were not so wrong after all in cutting back to 
■“ hard ripe wood” at the base. Experience had taught that the soft 
extremity wood would not give fruit, even “when the conditions are 
favourable,” whilst a severe winter would kill it, and it was found better 
to cut it away altogether, as if remaining it could only result in gum and 
canker. 
There is another aspect of the case—viz., your correspondent did not 
mean his “ thoughts ” to apply to Peaches and other trees producing fruit 
•on annual shoots, but to Plums, Pears, and Apples, and his remarks justify 
that interpretation. True enough is it that we very often see trees with 
as much wood overtopping a wall and taking as much support from the 
soil as the foliage and fruit on the tree itself, where there is so much 
u breastwood ” as to keep every ray of light from the base of the shoots. 
Now it is here again that I join issue with “ A Thinker ”—viz., there 
must be and is a manipulation some time, usually after midsummer, with 
the result that more growth is made, and continued until checked by cold. 
The crowded growth generally is firm at the base—it gets its firmness 
from the solidified wood of the previous year—and it is still further pro¬ 
vided against disaster by latent buds, the wood is drawn, long-jointed, 
and unsolidified as the leaves have not the needful air and light. “ A 
Thinker ” advises thinning the branches or shoots. In his own words 
“ Ripe wood does not necessarily mean hard wood, but rather wood stored 
with nutriment by the leaves.” This points to the necessity of “ thinning 
the branches and shoots whenever they are so crowded that the sun or 
light cannot act directly on the leaves at the base.” I see the base buds 
are going to be of consequence ; in fact he says, 11 It is better, safer, and 
more profitable.” Capital advice as far as it goes, yet it is not of any 
use “ while the roots are permitted to extend unrestrictedly therefore 
we are driven to the ex'remity of deducing that summer pruning is of no 
value in the formation of fruit buds, as “ cutting oil luxuriant laterals is 
not averting growth, but directly encouraging it, for if the roots are left 
intact their force is concentrated on a small area, and just as that is re- 
s'ricted in the same proportion is strong growth incited.” Just so, 
whether the growths are thinned or the breastwood removed we get more 
wood, and instead of concentrating the food supplies on the extremities 
we only cause fresh growth, and increase the harvest of unripe wood and 
wood buds ; therefore I am bound to deduce that summer pruning is of no 
value in the formation of fruit buds only in that it keeps the growths 
from becoming crowded and permits the access of light and air to the 
foliage, so that the rap is duly elaborated and in the buds at the base of 
the leaves, converting what would otherwise be wood buds into fruit 
buds. “ A Thinker ” clenches the argument again—viz., 11 when fruit, and 
fruit alone, is the main object it is best secured by having the branches 
thmly disposed and not shortened, as then a miximnm number of spurs 
is eventually produced with a minimum quantity of breastwool.” 
Exactly, branches thinly disposed so that sun and air can act directly 
on the foliage. “ Then will fruit buds form in the greatest numbers, and 
the ripening of the wood maybe left to take care of itself.” Justsu 
Make sure of the fruit buds in summer, and there will be no need of the 
“ metamorphosis ” in winter. Unfortunately there is, and I am afraid 
A Ihinker ” has not slulied—perhaps he has not been a reader long 
enough- his Juurnul of JJovticulture , or he might have observed the 
timely instructions about root-pruning in reply to inquirers respecting the 
unfruitfulness of their trees, which clearly have not been rendered fruit¬ 
ful by summer pruning. 
It is, however, clear that 11 A Thinker ” knows what he is about—viz,, 
fakes the best means of securing fruit buds in summer, and if ihe foliage 
does not riptn kindly or the buds do not plump he lifts in autumn. He 
takes care, like a wise man, to have two strings to his bow, if the knife 
fails there is the spade. The question is, when? In autumn after the 
leaves fall ? I think not. Your correspondent’s advice as to thinning 
the shoats to let in air and light, which is sound as far as it goes, but it 
dots not go far enough. I may supply the omission, and cannot do better 
than quote from the distinguished pomologist Dr. Hogg, who in 
writing of the Moor Park Apricot in the “ Fruit Manual,” fourth edition, 
page 177, states, “ The tree is a free grower in its early stages, producing 
long and strong shoots, and acquiring a luxuriance which is not conducive 
to the production of fruit. To counteract this should be the chief aim of 
the cultivator. The way to do this is to root-prune the tree about the 
beginning of August by removing a portion of the soil and cutting some 
of the strongest of the roots. This will check the too abundant supply of 
sap, diminish the excessive production of wood, regulate the development 
of the free, and consequently tend to a production of fruit.” This I 
think is most appropriate, and “ A Thinker ” must acquiesce with the 
difference that it would be best to defer it until the early part of September 
for the Apples and Pears. It will arrest the flow of the sap ; ” the 
number of buds in the intermediate state to which a further check by root- 
pruning will settle the matter,” and new roots will be formed before 
winter, so that there is no fear of their lacking support in spring. 
So far good. Now for “ A Thinker’s ” statement that “ the buds of 
fruit trees do change after the leaves fall.” In the first place he states 
nothing of his own experience, only he saw the 11 results of the experi¬ 
ment,” but he leaves us entirely in the dark as to when. It might be the 
April following the November in which the pyramid Pears and bush 
Apples were lifted, root-pruned, and replanted, or it may have been a year 
after the transplanting. I have no doubt he saw the trees with blossoms 
at least five times more in number than these that had not been disturbed, 
but I think he has skipped a year, though that can hardly be justified, as 
he wiites of November and the following April. There is some ambiguity 
here, but it is not of consequence to the issue, for it is diametrically 
opposed to my experience of fruit trees, and it is a question that anyone 
can soon settle for themselves. For my part I can only state that I have 
never missed a year during the last thirty of either planting fruit trees or 
lifting established ones, and in no instance have I known a recognised 
wood bud being converted into a fruit bud between the fall of the leaf and 
the following April. I have also made and planted five kitchen and fruit 
gardens with young trees, and never found a fruit blossom truss more on 
them than they had fruit buds in November. So much then for the 
practical part of the question—viz., the buds are either fruit or wood buds 
in November, or when the leaves fall, and so they remain during the 
winter under any conditions, developing in spring blossoms or shoots. 
The experiment “ A Thinker ” mentions as having the result alleged is 
completely at variance with my practice. I readily grant that it is not 
always possible to tell precisely whether the buds are fruit or wood when 
the leaves fall, but a practised eye can tell even then nine out of ten of 
the buds, or if not the observer is good for nothing, being neither an 
observant student nor expert cultivator of fruit trees. 
Whilst denying the “ metamorphosis,” I gTant root-pruning, or rather 
lifiing has a tendency to cause more blossoms to appear than would be 
the case were the trees not lifted for arresting the sap, which gees 
on circulating during the winter, more or less is taken from the wood 
buds, and whatever takes from the wood buds is concentrated on the fruit 
buds or their formation, as everything tending to jeopardise the life of 
the subject only tends to increased effort to continuance. I have observed 
that many buds which I thought could only be wood buds have developed 
blossoms in spring, hut then they were practically sterile, and without 
the lifting would no doubt have remained latent for that year at least, if 
they had not perished in the bud, through the wood buds taking all the 
support from them, they not being sufficiently developed to make the first 
demand, as fruit buds of the kind under discussion invariably do, they 
being in advance of the wood buds to a very noticeable degree. In that 
way, and no other, are the lifted trees with five times as many blossoms 
as the unlifted to be accounted for. Your correspondent says nothiug 
about fruit, and wisely, I think, for latent buds, even if fruit buds, are sot 
usually fruitful. 
These latent blossom buds are not by any means common. In the 
case of fruit trees they usually perish in the year succeeding their forma¬ 
tion, but there are instances in the Vine, and there are the Aristolochias, 
some Passifloras, and Ipomteas, that push floweiing growths, either with, 
but mostly without leaves, yet I do not suppose anyone would ask us to 
believe they were when first formed wood buds, and by some meta¬ 
morphosis have been transformed into flowering buds, for they are really 
not flower buds but flowering shoots. 
Further, if ‘A Thinker” is right in his metamorphosis doctrine, we 
have only to lift late Strawberry runners in October and replant. The 
leaf growth will be arrested, a truss of flowers will form a leaf as a heart 
bud, and every plant will flower in spring, at least there will be five times 
more flowers than on unlifted plants. Everybody knows they are no 
good for the next year, they must have a year’s growth ere they will form 
the essential fruit buds. Take another example. We lift Lily of the 
Valley in autumn, and we can tell to a nicety which crowns are flowering 
and those that are not. Why should not the non-flowering crown or leaf 
bud cbaDge into a flower hud if we transplant it and allow it favourable 
c nditions until spring ? If your correspondent’s doctrine be worth any¬ 
thing, this ought to take place, but the fact is it does not. No ; it wants 
a year’s growth; it wants haves to elaborate and assimilate the sap; 
store up nutriment in a flower spike perfect in embryo at the base of the 
accompanying growth. In choosing Lilac for forcing, select those with 
flower buds for early forcing, and keep those with nothing but wood buds 
under favourable conditions until spring, and see what arresting a wood 
bud has done for them. Your correspondent asks, “ What is a fruit bud ? ” 
He answers, “ It is an arrested wood bud, and nothing else.” I really 
cannot accept the definition. “ Whether the cessation of extension is 
natural or artificial matters not, the result is the same ; the embryo leaves 
are transformed into petals and organs of reproduction.” What arrests 
the growth in nature “ causes the cessation 9f extgnsjor,” What can es 
