42 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 13, 1893. 
Seedlinp. There were live competitors of white Grapes, and Mr. W. 
Lane, King’s Ride, Ascot, was first, showing three neat bunches of 
Muscat of Alexandria. Mr. W. Tidy, Stanmore Hill, Great Stanmore, 
was second with Foster’s Seedling; and Mr, T. Osman third with 
Mrs. Pearson. 
Mr. F. Billings, gardener to R. W. Hanbury, Esq., M.P., Ham Hall, 
Ashbourne. Derbyshire, was first with a single dish of Nectarines ; Mr. 
J. Wallis, Keele Hall, Newcastle, Staffs, second ; and Mr. A. Gibson, 
Halstead Place, Sevenoaks, third. Mr. Billings was also first for 
Peaches, Mr. F. J. Debnam, Spring Grove Gardens, Isleworth, being 
second, and Mr. Wallis third. An extra prize went to Mr. A. H. 
Richwood, gardener to Dowager Lady Freake, Fulwell Park, for a dish 
of Peaches. Mr. W. Chuck, gardener to P. Thelhusson, Esq., Brodf- 
worth Hall, Doncaster, was first with Strawberries. Mr, T. Elisha, 
Belling Place, Old Windsor, was first with one Melon, showing a 
seedling, and Mr. E, Little, Milton Court, Dorking, was second, the 
third prize going to Mr. S. Mortimer, Rowledge, Farnham. Mr. 
E. Little was first for three Melons, showing Hero of Lockinge, Mr. 
Mortimer being second, and Mr. J. Portbury, Ripon House, Putney 
Heath, third. Mr. Mortimer was first for a dish of Cherries. 
Mr. W. Jenks, gardener to W. M. Grant, Esq., Fairlawn, Cobham, 
staged a magnificent collection of Tomatoes not for competition (silver 
medal). Messrs. Thos. Rivers & Son, Sawbridgeworth, staged a grand 
collection of fruit, including Peaches, Nectarines, Cherries, and Plums 
(silver-gilt medal). Mr. A. Maxim, gardener to Hon. Miss Shaw Lefevre, 
Heckfield Place, Winchfield, showed two baskets of Black Hamburgh 
Grapes, packed and ready for sending to market (silver medal), as 
also did Mr. R. Grindrod., Whitfield Gardens, Hereford. Mr. Grindrod 
staged three bunches of Gros Maroc Grape in fine condition (silver 
medal). Mr. W. Shingler, Melton Constable, East Dereham, staged a 
bunch of new Grape, Lady Hastings, a Black Muscat with good berries, 
but a rather straggling bunch. Mr. T. Elisha sent a number of seedling 
Melons, dishes of Peaches, and some Peas and Cucumbers, for which a 
bronze medal was awarded. A first class certificate was awarded for a 
seedling Melon named Earl’s Court, a red fleshed variety. 
WOKK.FOil’raE WEEK,, ra 
HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 
Peaches and M'ectarlnes. — Treatment of Succession Shoots .— 
Secure loosely in the proper direction for training healthy successional 
shoots. Deal with the strongest first, leaving the weakest comparative 
latitude a little longer. As a rule it is not generally desirable to shorten 
these at all, especially if sufficient space is available for training ; but 
very vigorous shoots that have attained to a length of over 15 inches 
may be topped to a lateral near that point if one has pushed, this 
forming a new leader, but weaker than the portion removed. Other 
laterals that may have been produced reduce to the first pair of leaves. 
Growths of medium strength which ha^ e originated from older wood 
than the fruiting shoots, and are better placed than the successionals 
retained, ought to be preserved, as by laying in a few of such, wherever 
space is or can be made available, the trees are kept more evenly 
furnished with fruitful wood. 
Gooseberries.— Summer pruning ought to be completed without 
delay, pinching off the side shoots on the main stems at the fourth leaf 
where the spur system of pruning is adopted. After the fruit is gathered 
is the best time to thin out old branches for the purpose of affording 
more room to young growths which will eventually bear finer fruit. 
The young growth also must be thinned if at all thickly placed, and 
none of it shortened, but allowed to extend its full length under the 
influence of sun and air with the full exposure of every leaf. A com¬ 
bination of spur pruning and allowing a fair amount of young growths 
to remain yearly is a profitable system where young gieen fruit is 
plentifully required, as well as some needed of a larger size and fully 
ripened. The youngest wood will produce the former and the spurred 
shoots the latter. Some bushes may be treated entirely on the system 
of retaining young wood annually, provided the fruit-bearing shoots are 
cut out directly the crops are cleared, so that the growths retained 
may receive the benefit of sun and air in order to rinen fully to their 
extremities. 
Red and White Currants. —The side shoots on main branches 
not yet summer pruned stop to five or six good leaves, in order that 
the lowest base buds may be properly fed and matured for furnishing 
the following season’s crops. Full grown bushes must have the 
growths at the extremities of the main branches stopped the same as 
side shoots, but young bushes still extending their principal growths 
need these preserving until the winter pruning. In aged trees young 
strong shoots extending from the base may be encouraged for taking the 
place of worn-out branches or such as are producing a thicket of 
crowded spurs. The continued vitality and productiveness of old trees 
ci'Q) hy gradually renewing their vigour in this manner, be maintained. 
Black Currants.— No summer pruning in the sense of shortening 
young wood is necessary with this fruit. The encouragement of strong 
suckers from the base, or young vigorous wood from various parts of the 
lower branches, is the best means of rendering the bushes fru 
ful, dispensing at the same time with worn-out branches as well as 
superfluous and ill-placed growths. Support crops of fruit on bushes in 
dry positions by watering freely and mulching, but avoid giving liquid 
manure where ripe fruit is hanging for late or exhibition purposes. •«nS!5 
Raspberries. — Thin out new canes or suckers of Raspberries, 
allowing only four or five of the strongest to each stool. If planted in 
continuous rows the thinning out of the weakest canes should early be 
resorted to, so that when the new canes are tied in position there will be 
no crowding. If they extend higher than 5 feet stop them at that 
height. When the fruit is cleared cut the old canes down to the ground 
at once. Plenty of water and liquid manure with an additional mulch 
over the roots will benefit the plants. 
Outdoor Vines. —Train the current year’s wood as open as possible, 
exposing it and the foliage fully to sun and air, as upon this depends 
continued fruitfulness. The bearing shoots being stopped one or two 
joints beyond the bunches according as space is available, the subsequent 
laterals formed must be pinched to one leaf. Fruitless shoots, if any, 
stop to six or seven leaves. Tie in the fruiting shoots securely. Thin out 
the berries freely, going over the bunches a second time if necessary. Allow 
one bunch only to a shoot. Support the Vines well at the root during 
the swelling of the fruit, applying water and liquid manure. 
Outdoor Fig’S. —Retain no more of the current year’s shoots than 
can be comfortably laid in without crowding, reserving each at full 
length. A few shoots, however, if too long to be retained entire, but 
for which space can be found if shortened to five or six leaves, may be 
stopped as indicated. Stop the extremities of shoots bearing Figs to the 
fourth leaf above the fruit. This serves to concentrate the vigour while 
still encouraging a proper circulation of the sap to feed the fruit. 
Propagating Strawberries. —Rooting runners for early plants 
must now be attended to. The best are furnished from young fruiting 
plants, these, as a rule, being strong and vigorous. A few applications 
of water, and a mulching of manure over the roots of old plants, will 
assist materially in giving the runners a start, and increasing the size of 
the plantlets if at all backward owing to the dry season. A good method 
of rooting runners is securing them in small pots three parts filled with 
loam and manure, and upon 3 inch squares of turf previously well soaked 
in liquid manure. Whether pots or turves are used they should be sunk 
in the ground partly, if not wholly, so that they may not dry so quickly. 
Peg the runners in position with short wooden or iron pegs, though small 
stones laid on the runners nearly answer the same purpose. Water 
freely every day, and nip off the points of the runners beyond the pots 
or turves. Later runners may be rooted on small heaps of good, rich 
soil laid between the rows. Another method consists in securing a 
selection of the best runners on the ordinary soil between the plants, 
loosening it if necessary and maintaining it moist. In every case 
remove the weakest runners from the old plants, whereby those retained 
are not crowded and weakened. Beware of propagating from naturally 
barren plants as disappointment will follow. Such plants promptly dis¬ 
card before this characteristic is forgotten. 
Trim away the surplus runners from all plants, and from those 
planted in the spring cut away the wires close to the plants as they show, 
propagating being seldom desirable from these. It is a better plan to 
induce as strong growth as possible with a vie-v to obtaining fine crops 
of fruit the following year. Hoe down weeds in the driest weather. 
After rain strongly growing weeds may be pulled up, effecting this before 
the seed falls. Plan'ations marked for destruction should not be allowed 
to be breeding beds for troublesome weeds where they remain to flower 
and ripen seed, which is quickly distributed unnoticed over adjoining 
ground. Destroy all such before they flower if the ground cannot be 
dug, and the weeds deeply buried at once. 
Apples and Fears.— Complete the summer pruning, or the short¬ 
ening of the breastwood, to from four to six good leaves. If these shoots 
are thickly placed, that is, several issuing close together from one spur, 
thin some out. The sun will reach down to the base of the shoots left 
better. Fruit may still be thinned with advantage to heavily cropped 
trees. Some of the Apples removed may be utilised for cooking. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Peaches and Nectarines. — Early-forced frees .—Trees wh'ch 
were started from early December to the new year will for some time 
have been cleared of their fruit, and having the wood on which the 
fruit was borne removed, if not extension, as soon as the fruit was 
gathered, those retained may be exposed to light and air. It is, of 
course, essential that the buds be properly formed and perfected, and. 
the wood thoroughly matured, which is encouraged by clean culture and 
proper supplies of nourishment. The trees, therefore, must be syringed 
and cleansed of insects, if necessary, by the prompt application of an 
approved insecticide, and supplied with water, or in the case of weakly 
trees liquid manure at the roots. A light mulching will a'so tend to 
keep the roots at the surface, and prevent the premature ripening of the 
foliage. The buds in most cases will be sufficiently plumped, and the 
wood firm enough to allow the roof lights being removed. This should 
not further be delayed, unless the trees are unusually vigorous, when 
the lights may remain on a time longer or if lifting is to be done until 
that is performed. The removal of the root lights is an old and com¬ 
mendable practice, ensuring complete rest for the trees, and the- 
thorough moistening of the borders by the autumn rains. 
S'lccesslon Houses .—Trees started in February have the fruit ripe, 
and in some cases cleared of their crops. As the fruits are removed cut 
out the shoots that have borne them, and thin the growths where they 
are so close that the foliage cannot have full exposure to light and air.. 
