October 8,1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
311 
of what were still only “ single ; ” but last year I really obtained white 
flowers, which I should have called very beautiful but for the memory 
of the Bathonian, to which my flowers still appeared only cousins very 
distantly removed. Still, at our local exhibition, I put up as six of one 
variety six of these blooms, with which many people were very charmed, 
and they were grown from buds which when “ taken ” looked no larger 
than a pin’s head. (Query.—Are the buds of this, of Belle Paule, and 
one or two others generally very small crown buds ?) 
I fully realise that no amount of book advice can make a person 
cognisant of the mysteries of “ taking the bud.” This seems to me a 
matter so dependent on the look of the bud, the variety with its special 
peculiarities, and the season, that prolonged experience and note-taking 
seem the only guide to knowledge. This year, for myself, I have 
adopted this plan. On the label I put, for instance, “ Fair Maid of 
Guernsey, N. 17.” N. 17 means, cutting put in November 17tb, and of 
course D. would be December, and so on. Well, then, I have put 
“ C., A. 28,” which stands for “ Crown bud, August 28th,” and then 
“ T., S. 10,” stands for “ Terminal, September 10th,” then I think of 
adding, “ H., 0. 5,” which will mean “ Housed, October 5th,” and then 
“ B., I., P., F., G., Y. G., N. 15,” will do for blooms, “ Bad, indifferent, 
poor, fair, good, or very good, November 15th,” as the case may be ; 
then I can, later on, take my labels and note results in a book. I 
confess that I am now, like my friend some years ago, I know nothing 
about them, but I shall try to learn. 
“ Hope tells a flattering tale,” and sometimes I fancy I have already 
learned something. Some plants as they grow put on a “ sickly glare,” 
instead of robust green they have a jaundiced eye greatly developed. 
Edwin Molyneux has always served me so. A gardener coming into my 
place in July exclaimed, “ Hallo, sir, you’ve been putting it on too 
hot.” It so happened at that time none of the plants had been extra 
fed at all. These plants were set aside by themselves, refused all drink, 
except when actually fainting, and then indulged with a little very 
weak soot water, and judging from the verdure of the present foliage, 
the remedy has been most successful. 
Now, I should like to learn why a grand looking bud should begin 
to unfold its glories, and the three or four rows of outer florets expand, 
whilst the remainder just show colour and remain half an inch long, 
stunted, curled in, and refusing to grow any more. Why is this ? What 
is the difference between a crown and a terminal bud ? Yes, I know 
what is said in Molyneux’s book, the one is the second and the other the 
third break, but given the branch into your hand is it always easy to tell 
which the bud is 1 At first I was disposed to say that in the crown bud 
branch the shoots in the axils of the leaves are small branches of leaves 
with eight or ten leaves before the bud appears. On the other band, 
the terminal shoots are buds with at most two very small leaves, but 
almost all the crown buds of Lord Alcester, Bronze Queen, Empress of 
India, in fact the Queen family, have at any rate this year a crown bud 
exactly similar to the terminal. Is this the general run of that family ? 
Once again, does not the first break often give a bud of good promise, 
and one that may with hope be selected when, if not taken, the other 
buds would be far too late for the shows ? Yes, I know that a fool may 
ask questions that wise men cannot answer. I am, I confess, an ignoramus, 
but perhaps some kindly wise man will enlighten me. I should be very 
grateful.—Y. B. A. Z. 
BUYING FRUIT TREES. 
The planting season is now rapidly approaching, and intending 
planters are, or should be, making their preparations. A few words, 
therefore, upon the subject of choosing trees may not be out of place. 
My first advice to purchasers is, Be early in the field, and secure what 
you require while the stock is stiH ample. Your nurseryman will be 
glad to see you now and to go through his stock with you, marking 
selected trees and discussing the relative merits of varieties, &c. In a 
month’s time or so, when he is overhead and ears in work despatching 
goods you will have to take a large order with you to be very welcome. 
Another advantage of an early inspection is that all the free-bearing 
Apples and Pears are now full of fruits. This is the case with even 
two-year-old trees of such precocious sorts as Lord Suffield, Cellini, 
Stirling Castle, Ecklinville, Lord Grosvenor, New Northern Greening, 
Pott’s Seedling, and Domino, amongst Apples; and Fertility, Beurr6 
de Capiaumont, and others amongst Pears, so that much useful informa¬ 
tion may be picked up on this head during a walk round a good 
nursery. 
Again, it is much easier for a novice to judge of the quality, health, 
and age of trees whilst the foliage is still green than after it has all 
fallen and he has only the wood to look at. If he keeps his eyes open 
he may also see if any stock is kept of aphides, American blight, &c. 
(this will not probably be pointed out to him), and the utility of such 
knowledge does not need to be indicated. I would strongly advise buying 
young trees ; even if standards be required, buy two-year-old feathered, 
as they are called, and then trim them to your liking afterwards. The 
reason is that a young tree has all its roots near home, and they may 
all be sent with it ; whilst the older tree often leaves some of the best 
part of its roots—viz., the feeding fibres—in the ground, they having 
wandered too far to be secured in lifting. 
Avoid carefully old hide-bound, badly grown stock, as it is dear at 
a gift, and will probably be still struggling for existence when healthy 
young trees are bearing marketable crops. On the other hand, it is 
possible for trees to be grown too strongly, and so form gross thick 
shoots, w’hich will not ripen, and consequently suffer from severe frost, 
whilst the roots are thongyand destitute of fibre. Trees of this descrip¬ 
tion rarely move well. One other point to be noted is the colour of the 
bark. Trees grown in suitable soil and situation are bright and clean 
on the bark, whilst those in wet, bad soil are often dull and discoloured, 
the stems having the appearance of being covered with a minute lichen 
or mould. It goes without saying that an undergrowth of Couch 
Grass does not benefit young fruit trees, and I have seen a consign¬ 
ment of trees wdiose stems, prettily decorated with spiral markings, 
showed that bindweed was not unknown where they came from. 
I have endeavoured to avoid any questions open to diversity of 
opinion, under which one might class varieties suitable to various soils 
and localities, and the important question of the stock employed for 
various fruits ; but there can be no doubt whatever as to the capital 
importance of procuring trees which are true to name. There are so 
many men who have taken the trouble to plant fruit and study the very 
numerous varieties which are now in commerce, and to propagate from 
what they have proved to be true, that the purchaser should have no 
difficulty on this score.—A. H. PEARSON. 
