430 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 8, 1888. 
Magnifique, Easter Beurre, Williams’ Bon Chretien, Pitmaston 
Duchess, Beurre d’Amanlis, Jargonelle, and others. West aspect— 
Pitmaston Dnchess, Beurre Diel, Brown Beurre, Gansel’s Bergamot, 
General Todleben, Doyenne du Comice, Easter Beurre, Jargonelle, 
Louise Bonne of Jersey, Beurre d’Amanlis, &c. 
North aspect—Jargonelle, Louise Bonne of Jersey, and some 
others which are not suitable for the position, but which were 
planted partly to cover the wall, and to train trees to plant else¬ 
where. The Jargonelle and Louise Bonne of Jersey do fairly well, 
and I have no doubt Beurre d’Amanlis and some other early varieties 
would do equally well, and lengthen the season of these varieties 
considerably, 
In selecting the trees ascertain the number required, and write 
a list of the varieties which you intend to plant, and select them 
for yourself in the nursery. Maidens worked on the free stock, 
one year from the bud, are preferable to two and three years old 
trained trees which have been cut back several times in the 
nursery to keep them small and in saleable condition. See that 
they have straight clean growths with plump buds and well ripened 
wood, and that the scion and stock are perfectly united. 
The trees should be lifted as carefully as possible not to injure 
the roots, and packed immediately after to keep the small fibrous 
roots from drying, and planted in their permanent quarters as 
soon after as possible. Before planting cut off the ends of any of 
the injured roots, and the extra strong ones shortened to induce 
them to send out fibrous roots, which are better for nourishing the 
tree than strong tap roots that penetrate deeply into the earth. 
Level the surface of the border before planting, especially at the 
bottom of the wall. If this is not done at first there is a proba¬ 
bility when the trees are planted of some of them being deeper 
than they should be when the border is levelled afterwards. In 
planting fruit trees young gardeners are apt to make a mistake in 
planting them too deep through inexperience. As a rule they 
must never be planted deeper than they were when growing in the 
nursery lines, and the stem not less than 5 or 6 inches from the 
bottom of the wall to allow of it swelling afterwards. Make the 
hole large enough to allow of the roots being spread out to their 
full length all round, and fill the soil in carefully to the top before 
it is tramped. After it has been firmly trodden all over and 
levelled mulch the surface with manure to exclude air and to pre¬ 
vent evaporation from the-soil. Prune the trees to a good bud 
about 14 inches from the ground, and then make secure to the 
wall. The best time to plant is as soon as possible after the leaves 
have fallen in the autumn, but planting may be continued in good 
weather from then on to the middle of March. 
To grow handsome fruitful trees they require a great amount 
of attention in training when young, and no one need expect to 
succeed in forming well-balanced trees unless this is done, both in 
pruning, nailing, stopping lateral shoots, and disbudding, until the 
trees have furnished the walls with branches. Good maiden trees 
with well-matured wood will produce from four to five branches 
the first year after planting. 
If the branches are well placed, they may all be retained, taking 
the one in the centre for a leader, and the other four, two on each 
side, to form the base and permanent branches. There are several 
modes of training the Pear tree on walls, but I prefer the fan-shape 
to all other methods practised, both for appearance and fruitful¬ 
ness. In nailing or tying the branches, care should be taken to give 
them plenty of room to swell. I hive known many trees ruined 
when young through the young men nailing them too tightly. 
They never thought of making sufficient allowance for the branches 
to develop, and the string or shreds cut through the bark and 
rendered them useless. 
In training when the trees are young all the branches must have 
an upward tendency for a few years before they are placed into 
their permanent positions. When nailed into their proper pi ices at 
once it retards the flow of sap in the lo wer branches, weakens them, 
and injures the whole tree by the leader and upper branches 
absorbing the sap and causing them to make strong gross unripened 
wood, which is useless for building up s fruitful tree. 
The leading shoot should be pruned to 14 inches or more from 
where it started, according to its strength, and a nick cut through 
the bark above each of the side buds required to form branches to 
induce them to break into growth. The permanent branches 
should never be cut back unless the tree is bare at the bottom or the 
wocd at the extreme end of it is not thoroughly ripened, or if it 
happens to be a fruit bud at the end, which is often the case, it is 
then cut back to a prominent leaf bud and well ripennd wood. 
In the spring after the trees have started into growth examine 
them carefully, and all the buds on the leaders which are not re¬ 
quired may be rubbed off. If more than one starts from the 
terminal bud of the permanent branches remove all except the 
strongest one and two or three of the buds on the branch imme¬ 
diately behind it taken off as well to strengthen the terminal 
growth. 
As the shoots grow nail them in to prevent their being broken 
by wind. A tree may be built up very quickly if it makes 
strong healthy growth early in the season by stopping the leading 
shoot, after the wood is about three parts ripe to 14 inches in 
length, when it will throw out a double set of branches and a new 
leader in one season, and ripen them well, if the weather continues 
good. But, as a rule, it is not advisable to adopt this method with 
all trees, nor in all seasons. If the trees in the second year after 
planting are inclined to make too vigorous growths they must be 
lifted carefully and root-pruned, which will check the growth and 
bring the trees into fruiting, after which they will not require root- 
pruning for a long time. 
The building up of a tree consists in pruning the leader and 
training the new branches until the wall is covered, and in stopping 
lateral growths or breastwooi during the summer, and pruning 
them in autumn when the leaves have fallen to within two buds of 
the branches to form fruit spurs. If the trees become infested at 
any time with scale, which they are subject to, they should be 
syringed with a mixture of petroleum and water, which will kill it 
without injuring the trees if done soon after pruning, or at any 
time during the winter when the trees are dormant. 
To make sure of obtaining a crop of fruit the trees may be 
protected during the time they are in flower, and also when the 
fruit is nearing maturity, against the attacks of birds. 
Mulch the border at the bottom of the wall with rough litter 
from the stable all the year round. It is good for the roots of the 
trees, and it is better for walking on in all seasons than the bare 
earth. 
PRUNING FRUIT TREES. 
It was with great interest that I read in last week’s Journal the 
remarks on the above subject at the Chiswick Fruit Conference by Mr. 
Shirley Hibberd, and it is practically the key of profitable fruit culture 
in this country as much as suitable varieties or good soil. In common 
with other gardeners I have been very much impressed by the ignorance 
displayed by many gardeners in pruning fruit trees, their ideas on this 
subject being next akin to “ pollarding.” Remarks of this nature are 
generally attributed to the young gardener, but I think a large per¬ 
centage of the “ old ” may be placed in the same category. Of course, 
whether the trees are Apples, Pears, or Plums, the trees must be pruned 
during the first few years of their existence, as explained by Mr. Bun- 
yard, so as to lay the foundation, but after that each variety will attain 
a contour peculiarly their own, with a little rational pruning occa¬ 
sionally to balance growth or to prevent crowding. With Gooseberries 
a course of pruning is necessary, but this must not be carried to the 
extent as practised by many gardeners. The best course with these is 
to encourage as much young growth as possible, cutting out all old 
bearing wood where it can be done with advantage, so as to allow light 
and air to play amongst the branches, and to allow free access for 
gathering. A clear stem must be encouraged, “sucker” growth being 
very objectionable to the Gooseberry. With Black Currants a con¬ 
tinual supply of young wood must be encouraged up from the bottom, 
merely cutting out old and exhausted wood, or to keep the trees open. 
—A. Young. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM SHOWS. 
We shall be obliged if those of our friends who favour us with 
reports of shows will, as far as is practicable, give full list of varieties 
in the first prize stands in the chief classes. 
HAVANT. 
The fifth Exhibition of Chrysanthemums, fruit and vegetables was 
held at Havant on Wednesday, 31st ult., and, notwithstanding the 
defects of the growing season, proved to be the most successful Show 
held by this Society. The Havant Show always has additional 
interest in the splendid collection of vegetables and fruit which form a 
separate show, and materially add to the popularity of the Society in 
the district. Japanese Chrysanthemums were fully up to the average 
of former years, while the incurved showed a marked advance. Other 
sections were not quite so good. 
Among the Japanese many fine specimens were staged of such 
varieties as Martha Harding, rarely seen so fine ; Avalanche, Florence 
Percy, Edwin Molyneux, Mr. Garnar, and Mdlle. Lacroix. Many com¬ 
plaints are heard of the blooms damping, which seems to be general 
throughout the country this season. It is to be hoped that after the 
shows are over some discussion may take place as to the probable 
causes of this. 
In the class for groups of Chrysanthemums some remarkably fine 
banks were arranged, the quality being good throughout. Mr. W. 
Roberts, Havant, was first, closely followed by Mr. W. S. Moseley, 
gardener to John Taplin, Esq., and Mr. J. Agate, florist, Havant. The 
date of the Show proved too early for specimen plants, and only brought 
one exhibitor, Mr. N. F. Fuller, The Gardens, Idsworth. The loss to 
the Show in this respect was fully made up by the pretty and inter¬ 
esting group of Pomp ms, in which there was a sharp competition, 
