December 81, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
581 
up after the ordeal of root-pruning. That kind of cure is worse 
than the disease. 
MOVING APPLE TREES. 
In the first place we must look what kind of tree we wish to 
remove, then we must see where we wish to place the tree after 
removal. We must make the hole for the new tree before it is 
taken up, or else have both operations going on at the same time. 
If a tree of from 10 to 12 feet high, then we must begin 7 or 
9 feet from the stem, and take out a trench. Take out the soil 
with a steel fork to avoid injuring the roots. If there are any 
roots that go straight down, they should be cut off. Leave as 
large a ball of soil as there is strength to get the tree out of the 
hole. When the tree is undermined and ready for removal, of 
course the new home should be ready—that is, prepared the same 
as for standard trees, only larger if required. Planks should be 
put underneath the ball, lift it out of the hole, if not too large. 
If too large make an incline down to the roots. I also make an 
incline down to the side of the new hole, run a low truck down, 
ease the tree a little on one side, get the truck underneath, get 
loaded, draw out, take to the new hole, run down the incline 
into the middle of the hole, unload, draw out the truck ; lay out 
the roots carefully in tiers the same as they grew before removal. 
When the hole is half filled, about 30 or 40 gallons of water is 
a capital addition in the way of fastening the tree. Let the 
water settle, then fill in the rest of the soil; mulch, and stake as 
advised for the standards. 
FEEDING THE TREES. 
In ninety cases out of a hundred, big things are not so easily 
overlooked as small ones. Apple culture is no exception. It is 
generally known that a great many Apple trees only bear every 
other year. I think the cause of that, in a great many cases, is 
want of food for the support [of an annual crop. How can we 
expect fruit trees to produce a crop every year without being in 
a wonderfully productive soil without feeding P If trees are pro¬ 
perly planted at first, and the roots still in good order, they will 
readily respond to any little help they may receive. When trees 
are annually bearing heavy crops without assistance, the soil must 
soon become exhausted through overcropping. Give abundance 
of liquid manure, the colour of Burton’s shilling-per gallon beer. 
Bearing trees want feeding all through the winter with plenty of 
liqu d manure, provided the drainage is good. Trees well fed 
start away so much stronger in the spring than trees that are 
not so treated. The frost does not seem to have the same effect 
on well-fed trees, as those on stunted growth. I do not mean 
trees making a growth of 3 and 4 feet in one season or more, 
10 to 15 inches is quite enough for bearing trees to make of new 
growth in one season. When the trees have got into an exhausted 
state through overcropping in arable land, take off 4 inches of 
the top soil as far as the roots extend, then add 6 inches of good 
decayed manure in its place. If on grass land, add the manure 
as a top-dressing. The autumn is the best time for that kind of 
renovation. In the following summer pour plenty of house 
sewage or liquid manure over the manure. I think that would be 
a remedy for debility if the trees are not too far gone or worn 
oat. My idea is a good constitution, work well, and feed well. 
PRUNING THE BRANCHES. 
I can only say a few work on this subject. We cannot be too 
careful with the knife and saw. I do not mean that we ought 
not to use them we cannot get on without them, but we want to 
have an idea of what we are going to prune. In the first place, 
we ought never to allow one branch to cross another if it is 
possible to avoid it. It is possible to prevent branches crossing 
if we take it in time. Begin with young trees, keep the branches 
thin enough, so as to allow the lateral branches to be no nearer 
than 12 inches, six main branches are quite enough for standard 
heads, and the main branches. Never allow any long rambling 
shoots to run away from the body of the trees, cut them clean 
out. We ought to try and beep every kind of tree as evenly 
balanced as possible. This plan is not difficult if we go the 
right way about it. Rub off all the shoots that are not wanted, 
stop those that are out-growing their limits or getting out of 
bounds. October is the best time to thin out branches where 
crowded. We can see much better how much to cut off 
when the leaves are on. November is the best month for ordi¬ 
nary pruning. Always cut to a bud pointing the same way you 
wish the shoot to trow. Nine inches is quite close enough for 
laterals to grow with small leaves; 12 inches is close enough for 
varieties with large leaves. Where trees are pruned early the 
buds break much stronger in the spring than trees do which are 
S runed late. It is a good plan to go over the trees the end of 
lay or the beginning of J une, and rub off all useless buds and 
shoots that are not wanted for the formation of the trees, also 
to go over the trees every fortnight throughout June, July, and 
August to stop the branches or shoots so that they do not rob 
the weak ones or weak branches. Sawing off branches is a kind 
of pruning in which I have taken great interest, both in fruit 
and forest trees. I believe the worst kind of pruning to be 
where a branch has been sawn off a few inches from the stem, 
and left in that way. After a few years the snag generally dies 
and carries decay into the tree, whereas if the branches are cut 
close to the main stem, and evenly finished off with a carpenter’s 
chisel, then dressed with a mixture of soot and cow dung, the 
wound will in time heal if the tree is healthy. The best way, 
I think, when a branch has to be sawn off, is to saw it in two 
pieces; cut the first portion of 18 inches or 2 feet from the stem 
to save accident to the tree. Cut one-fourth through on the 
under side first, then commence on the upper side, cut through ; 
then cut the remaining piece through in the same way, on the 
under side first as before; finish off with a carpenter’s chisel, 
make the cut quite smooth, and paint with soot and cow dung. 
Sometimes very large branches want cutting off at from three to 
six different places, or perhaps more, to save breakages. 
GATHERING THE CROP. 
There is great care required in gathering and storing fruit. 
Fruit is scarcely fit to look at when all the stalks are broken off 
in gathering, and this is not all. A great many fine fruits are 
first decayed at the junction with the fruitstalk through the 
rupture caused by the careless gatherer. I believe often one third 
of the Apples and Pears are spoiled in the gathering and storing. 
What is the use of going to the expense of producing good fruit 
if there is not a suitable place to store it in when gathered ? It is 
as though a man bought a horse and then had nowhere to keep it. 
To keep fruit well we want a place similar to a good cellar, with 
a regular cool temperature of from 40° to 45° Fahr. as near as we 
can get it. The time to gather the fruit is when it will part 
freely from the tree with lifting up, also when good fruit falls 
off without the wind blowing it down. 
CANKER AND INSECTS. 
Frost may cause canker when the wood does not get properly 
ripened. I know that when the roots get into a bad subsoil that 
will cause it. Lifting the roots out of bad soil and putting 
drainage and fresh soil, plenty of burnt earth, and old turf if it 
can be had will cure it if it is not too far gone—that is, the 
branches not eaten half through with it. The woolly aphis or 
American blight is a troublesome pest to deal with. I have 
found 1 oz. of petroleum mixed in one gallon of water, kept 
well agitated and syringed on the infested branches, checks its 
operations. The trees will want syringing about four times 
during the summer and autumn. When one tree is finished 
commence to syringe off the oil at once, then no harm will occur 
to the trees. Methylated spirits of wine is a great help in 
keeping it down. Get a small brush, dip it into the spirits of 
wine and just touch the insects. This will make short work with 
them. Bare a few of the large roots, and let them remain so 
most of the winter. Give a good dressing of hot lime, that will 
help to get rid of them as well for green fly. Give a good dusting 
of tobacco powder at night when the trees are damp, or syringe 
them. Syringe the powder off again next morning; in about 
four days dust again; that will also generally check green and 
black fly. 
The following is a list of a few good varieties of Apples:— 
Dessert Varieties .—Kerry Pijipin, Red Astrachan, Irish Peach 
Cox’s Orange Pippin, Ribston Pippin, Margil, Blenheim Pippin, 
Golden Winter Fearmain, Fearn’s Pippin, Court Pendu Plat, 
Scarlet Nonpareil, Dutch Mignonne, Lord Burghley, Sturmer 
Pippin. 
Culinary Varieties .—Early Julian, Domino, Lord Suffield, 
Stirling Castle, Golden Noble, Warner’s King, Small’s Admirable, 
Cellini, Alexander, Blenheim Pippin [one of the best), Dumelow’s 
Seedling, New Hawthornden, Gloria Mundi, Alfriston, Rymer 
Yorkshire Greening, Bess Pool, Striped Beefing. 
MUSHROOM CULTURE—CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
Notwithstanding all that Mr. Wright has done to show how easily 
Mushrooms can be cultivated, and that others have also shown repeatedly 
through the gardening press, as well as practically, how this can be 
accomplished, it is astonishing how many still believe that a supply of 
Mushrooms without the aid of an orthodox Mushroom house is a fiction. 
When in Leamington not long since I called to see Mr. Crump at the 
Ranelagh Gardens, and I found some excellent crops of Grapes there too, 
but I allude to Mr. Crump here because of his success as a cultivator of 
Mushrooms under very easy circumstances. In his Cucumber and Melon 
houses, and, in fact, any other house where he can make up a bed, he 
