294 
THE GARDENERS’ AND NATURALISTS 5 CALENDAR FOR JANUARY. 
in flower, and by taking every advantage of fine days to 
give plenty of air, we have never failed to get five times 
as many fruit to set as we leave to ripen. As soon as 
the buds begin to swell, syringing should be discontinued 
until the fruit are all set, when it must be resinned. 
The moisture of the atmosphere should be still con¬ 
tinued until the flowers begin to expand, when it should 
cease until the trees are out of flower and the fruit is 
set. Knowing, as we well do, the evil effects arising 
from overheating—that is, by artificial means, even at 
the risk of being thought tedious, we again beg to im¬ 
press on the minds of our readers, the necessity of being 
careful in attending to the state of temperature during 
the period the peach is in flower. Ventilate at all times 
as freely as the state of the weather will permit. If the 
second house be started six weeks after the first, and the 
same treatment be given to both, the fruit in the former 
will be ripe about a month later than that in the latter. If 
the late houses are not dressed and tied, no time should 
be now lost in doing so; the frost should also be kept 
out of them by lighting gentle fires in severe weather. 
Strawberries .—The first batch of these plants must 
have every attention paid to them at this season,—for 
though no plant is more easily managed late in the sea¬ 
son, still, at this season of the year, they require a little 
management to get good crops. If the weather be se¬ 
vere when they are in flower, so that they can have but 
little air and a good deal of fire, under these circum¬ 
stances the strawberry flower will “ go blind.” In order 
to prevent this as much as possible, keep them near the 
■•glass, give plenty of air, and a rather low night tempe¬ 
rature, and water with tepid water. A second batch of 
plants should be introduced about three weeks after the 
first, and a batch every fortnight after during the sea¬ 
son, so as to keep up a regular succession.—M. Saul, 
Gardener to Lord Stourton, Allerton Park. 
Cucumber House .—The directions given last month 
will still require to be attended to. The weather is 
less favourable now, and it will require great energy on 
the part of the gardener for the next six weeks to keep 
the plants in a growing state. Remove all male blos¬ 
soms as they appear, and mind that the foliage be not 
shaded by overcrowding, as, in that case, they soon be¬ 
come yellow and unhealthy ; remove every unsightly 
leaf. See that the glass is particularly clean, as light 
is the only agent beyond the control of the gardener: 
heat, ah’, and moisture, he can supply as the wants of 
the plants need them, but light, the most important of 
all, he cannot control, although he can greatly assist by 
due attention; first, by using sheet glass, and, secondly, 
by due attention to washing the glass on every occasion 
when there is the least appearance of dirt upon it. Keep 
a moderately low night temperature, and a humid at¬ 
mosphere by day. 
Dung-bed .—This will still be an anxious department 
for the gardener for the next three months. The plants 
that have been potted off, and are showing two rough 
leaves, must have the centre bud pinched out, if they 
are intended for the dung-beds ; but if they are intend¬ 
ed for trellis-work, they must not be stopped, as they 
are likely to make more root by being left entire than 
by stopping. "Where seed is still to be sown, it will be 
of service to place each seed on a small lump of peat 
about- as large as a walnut, and so placed at regular 
distances in a shallow pot or pan, and covered about 
half an inch with light peaty soil, they will soon begin 
to vegetate. Keep them on a bottom heat of not less 
than 75° and near to the glass. If there is any danger of 
mice taking the seed, it will be well to place a piece of 
clean glass over the pot, and remove it as soon as the 
plants appear above the surface. Let the surface of the 
seed bed be stirred frequently, and the linings made up 
with sweet fermented dung. Give abundance of air on 
all favourable occasions. 
Routine .—Collect all materials available for forming 
succession beds, such as leaves and long dung. Keep 
the dung well worked, and there wifi be little fear of 
wood-lice to annoy you later in the season. 
Melons .—A sowing of some approved early kind 
should now be made. The same treatment as for cu¬ 
cumbers will be applicable.— Wm. Taylor, Gardener 
to J. Coster, Esq., Streatham. 
FRUIT GARDEN.—OUT-DOOR DEPART¬ 
MENT. 
As there is nothing of importance to be added to what 
I have already called attention to in the two previous 
Calendars, I shall take the opportunity of saying a few 
words on training fruit trees. 
The different modes of training have been much dis¬ 
cussed, and I believe undue importance has been at¬ 
tached to it by some writers on the subject. It must 
be confessed that a handsomely-trained tree has a very 
beautiful appearance; but this is not the sole end for 
which it is planted. Numerous fanciful modes of 
training have from time to time been recommended; 
but to secure permanently-healthy trees, they should 
be made to assume their natural position as nearly as 
possible. First, then, as to Peach and Nectarine trees : 
for these the fan system is undoubtedly the best, 
because that is the most natural form that trees so arti¬ 
ficially placed can be made to assume. In common 
fan-training, much must be left to the judgment of the 
cultivator; but there is a mode of fan-training called 
Seymour’s, which is truly systematic. The place of 
each branch and shoot is so clearly defined, that any 
one may, in a short time, understand the system. Why, 
then, is it not adopted more generally ? may be asked. 
I can only account for it in this way, that it will not 
succeed in all soils and situations; and I have the more 
confidence in stating this from knowing that one of the 
sons of the originator of the system could not bring the 
trees under his care to assume that unif ormity of ap¬ 
pearance which the trees under his father’s care had. 
Much injury is done to trained fruit-trees, merely to 
give them an artistical appearance. The branches are 
strained, and the sap vessels are torn and lacerated at 
a season of the year when nature is the least able to 
repair the damage. In some situations this may be of 
little importance, but in others it is the first precursor 
of gum and canker. 
The Apricot , Cherry , and Plum are usually trained 
fan fashion, but sometimes horizontally. Where the 
walls are low, the latter is the best mode; but a blend-, 
ing of the two systems is a favourite plan with me, 
which I will explain when I am speaking of the Pear. 
Pear and Apple trees are very generally trained hori¬ 
zontally ; and this is, in my opinion, the best system. 
There is an objection sometimes started, and not with¬ 
out a reason either. It is that for high walls, the trees, 
if trained horizontally from a single stem, are so long 
in reaching the top of it. This may be obviated by 
first training it fan-shaped, and afterwards horizontally, 
according to the following plan :—Drive a nail at the 
top of the wall perpendicular to the stem of the tree; 
at the bottom of the wall, and at four feet distant from 
the stem of the tree, on each side of it, chive in other 
nails; from the top nail to each of the lower ones make 
on the wall a straight line; on this oblique line bend 
all the branches from the fan system to the horizontal, 
so that they are about a foot apart. By this plan the 
trees will cover the wall in a much shorter space of 
time than they would by framing the branches hori¬ 
zontally from one stem. 
The present mode of training Gooseberry bushes is 
susceptible of great improvement. At present, in nine 
cases out of ten, the branches are so near the ground, 
that after a heavy shower of rain the fruit is covered 
with dirt; and again, when the fruit is ripe it is in the 
