September 17, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
287 
A FTER so wet and sunless a season as we have experienced 
special attention ought to be given to Vines and other 
fruit trees, so as to assist them in every possible way to ripen, 
as far as practicable, the strong sappy growth many trees have 
produced. Peach trees from which the fruit has just been 
cleared should have all the young shoots not required for next 
year’s fruiting, or for filling up vacancies, removed at once, 
and the shoots spread evenly over the surface of the trellis, 
so as to expose them to every ray of sunlight. If the shoots 
are tied here and there, it will be sufficient to keep them in 
position till the general clearing and retying takes place in the 
winter. All lateral growth, if any still remain, should of course 
be unsparingly removed. If we happen to be favoured with 
fine bright weather for a few weeks during September and 
October all may yet be well, as trees generally are unusually clean 
and free from insects. The great desideratum is sun to ripen the 
wood. 
Where trees have made extra strong wood a trench should 
be cut round them from 3 to 5 feet from the stem according 
to the size of the tree, and if roots are not plentiful at that 
point remove the soil neai’er to the stem till strong roots are 
formed. These should be carefully preserved and the soil worked 
out from between them a few inches beyond the point at which 
they were cut with the spade. The surface soil should then 
be removed from the remainder of the ball right up to the 
stem. If but few roots are formed near the top take out another 
layer of soil, and continue to do so until a fair quantity of 
roots is formed, as it often happens when trees make over¬ 
strong growth that their roots are found to have penetrated 
deeply into the soil, and are strong and almost devoid of those 
little fibry rootlets which fruit growers know are so necessary 
for the production of high-class fruits. As soon as the old soil 
has been removed all the roots left should be cut at the ends 
with a sharp knife, and a few of the strongest notched at 
intervals to cause them to send out fresh fibres. The trench 
should then be gradually filled in with good sound loam, with 
which lime rubbish at the rate of one part to six has been mixed. 
As the work of filling the trench proceeds work the compost 
carefully among the roots, and those which have been completely 
freed from the soil right up to the main stem must be raised 
and brought near the surface, trenching the soil moderately firm 
as the work proceeds. 
Should the leaves show any sign of distress after this opera¬ 
tion has been performed shade and syringe for a few days, but 
do not let the shading remain on a day longer than is necessary 
to keep the foliage fresh. Trees treated in the way described 
often produce exceptionally fine fruits the following season. 
When the root-pruning is done thus early it has the effect of 
greatly checking the flow of sap, and therefore stopping growth. 
The energies of the trees are employed in plumping the buds 
and solidifying the growth already made, while roots are being 
formed ready for the work of another year’s active growth. 
Trees with weak wood generally produce abundance of fruit, 
but to obtain really fine specimens strong shoots well ripened 
are required. 
No. 58G.— Vol. XXIII., Third Series. 
Vines with the fruit ripe or ripening should have all lateral 
growth promptly removed, that is, growth which his been recent’y 
made, or which has been allowed to become somewhat crowded. 
Care should always be taken not to cut away a great amount 
of growth at one time. If from any cause the laterals have 
been allowed to unduly extend, remove a few at a time, and 
arrange the others so that they will not interfere with the main 
shoots. Extension of lateral growth early in the season is often 
of great benefit to Vines, but as the season advances it must 
gradually cease, especially in a dull season like the past, so 
that by the present date every leaf retained is thoroughly exposed 
to light and air. Wherever laterals make their appearance 
they should be rubbed off at once, for they not only have 
an injurious effect, by keeping out the sunlight from other 
shoots, but are also very susceptible to mildew at the present 
season, especially in districts which have a naturally humid 
atmosphere. 
Those who have vineries situated on high ground, provided 
they have the control of plenty of water, have, in my opinion, a 
great advantage in Grape growing generally, and more especially 
where perfectly finished bunches fit for the show table are 
required.—H. D. 
SULPHATE OF COPPER AND THE POTATO 
DISEASE. 
I read the leading article on “ The Potato Disease and Reme¬ 
dies” in your issue of the Journal, September 3rd, with particular 
interest, because last year and this also, I, as an amateur Potato 
raiser and grower, experimented with the solution of sulphate of 
copper and quicklime as an antidote to the Potato murrain. I 
have not used these chemicals as a dry preparation, and there¬ 
fore am unable to pass any opinion thereon ; but if they are 
used as a solution of proper potency I am well satisfied from 
my own experience that they are effectual in opposing murrain 
onslaughts. 
Several recipes for making the solution have been published ; 
but some of them are not absolutely reliable, because, if the solu¬ 
tion is too strong, it corrodes the tissues of the leaves, and does almost 
as much injury as the fungus would. My proportions have been 
7 lbs. of sulphate of copper, with an equal quantity of quicklime, 
to 20 gallons of water. The sulphate of copper should be bruised 
to a fine powder before mixing with the water to facilitate 
solution. 
There is some difficulty in the means of application in the case 
of a field or a large plot of ground, because in using an ordinary 
garden syringe the lime obstructs the small orifices of the syringe 
and prevents the free passage of the solution. Doubtless special 
machines should be available for the purpose. Then, too, the 
operator must walk between the rows and convey the liquid 
with him. In continuous wet weather this would be most 
unpleasant work ; the soil, too, in the furrows would be terribly 
down-trodden and the haulm bruised and broken by the passage 
of the operator up and down the rows. One application is by 
no means sufficient. I would therefore recommend that in field 
culture alleys be left at proper distances for passing along with a 
small machine. 
There is one question of importance which I have heard 
many ask, “Is the game worth the powder and shot i My 
opinion is decidedly yes ; for not only is the present crop pro¬ 
tected, but the spores and zoospores of the fungus rre doubtless 
robbed of their vitality if they come in contact with t le solution. 
Therefore it is a mode of horticultural sanitation that not only 
insures immunity from diseased tubers, but must also have a 
marked effect in reducing the quantity of hybernating germs 
for the futu e season.— Henry Finciiam. 
No. 2242.—VOL. LXXXY., Old Series, 
