472 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. —September 30,1856. 
wants of one individual are the same as the wants of 
several others. An example is before us in one or 
two queries made by a lady, whose case is this:— 
Our correspondent says she has a number of young 
fruit-trees about twelve months old, consisting of Ap¬ 
ples, Pears, Plums, and Cherries, which she wishes to 
train in the espalier form, and has planted them about 
four feet from the walks. The trees, we understand, 
were what are called maiden trees from a nursery, and 
not pruned in any way at the time of planting, nor 
have they been pruned since, so that it is reasonable 
to suppose they now represent dwarf bushes of more 
or less irregularity of growth; and the shoots, we sup¬ 
pose, seem disposed to grow any way but the one in 
which they ought to grow to become well-proportioned 
trained trees. Our correspondent now asks what is 
best to be done with them, she having hitherto treated 
the trees as recommended by the nurseryman who fur¬ 
nished them. 
Before detailing what ought now to be done, I must 
take the liberty of condemning what has been done, or 
rather, omitted, in relation to the Cherry and Plum-trees, 
the first-named especially; for though it may be proper to 
plant Apple and Pear-trees, and to allow them to remain 
twelve months unpruned, the stone fruit ought to be 
treated differently. Cherries especially, disliking much 
knife work, ought to have been looked to early in the 
summer, and those shoots only retained which were 
likely to train in when they were wanted; and suffi¬ 
cient of these being secured, the remainder might 
have been nipped off when they were only an inch or 
two long, and the long shoots which sent them forth 
might have been stripped entirely of them by degrees, 
so that in autumn the long shoots might be cut out, 
when their loss to the parent would hardly be felt, while 
the young shoots emanating from their base might be 
Gained into their proper place during the summer, 
and in winter very little will be wanted by them. 
All stone fruits ought to have their principal dressings 
in summer, Cherries especially, being impatient of 
amputation in winter; and though Plums do not suffer 
so much, yet they do not answer so well to have those 
wholesale knife primings which Apple and Pear-trees 
are often subjected to; besides which, by only allowing 
the required number of shoots to form on each tree, 
they can be made to grow at the place where most 
wanted, and trained in accordingly; but, as this cannot 
be done now, I will proceed to give advice as to what 
is most useful under present circumstances. 
In the first place, we presume there is no fixed es¬ 
palier or frame-work to train the trees to; neither is it 
necessary that the permanent wood or iron-work need 
be put up yet, for some temporary means may be 
adopted to get the trees into shape for a year or two, 
and then the permanent trellis-work might be added 
with a fair chance of its being soon covered. This 
point, however, we leave to be settled on the spot. At 
the same time, we beg to remind those whose duty it 
is to fix those things, that the permanent posts or 
fastenings ought to be good, as the upper structure 
seldom gives way; and whether the training portion 
be iron or wire rods, or some wooden palisading or 
other contrivance, still the portions which secure it to 
the ground must be good, and well adapted to last a 
number of years without giving way. There are various 
modes of erecting such things; but, however neat they 
' may be, they all look the better by being covered with 
trees, and as there is always a loss of time at the begin¬ 
ning, it would be as well to delay putting up the trellis- 
work until the trees have had a start. 
As it is seldom advisable to have espalier-work higher 
than six feet, and often much lower, the trees ought to 
be planted widely apart, and trained horizontally. To 
begin such training, a few stout stakes thrust into the 
ground in lieu of the intended espalier will do for 
the first season, or, it might be, for two years, a neat 
straight stake being tied horizontally to their tops. 
Against these stakes the shoots ought to be tied as soon 
as they are long enough; that is to say, they ought to 
be tied in during the summer, and all useless shoots re¬ 
moved then, so that but little is wanted in the winter 
pruning. 
As our correspondent says her trees are now six feet 
high, it is likely that some of them must be cut down in 
a great measure. This may with advantage be done 
with the Pears and Apples, although, generally, I do not 
advocate it if the tree shows signs of forming a suitable 
head. Not that there is any fear of hurting or disfigur¬ 
ing it, but there is the danger of limiting the head of 
the plant to that degree as not to absorb all the juices 
the roots furnish, and, consequently, shoots are emitted 
below the graft, or even suckers are issued from the root, ! 
which continue to grow' long after the head has assumed i 
its proper size. This last evil ought to be avoided if pos¬ 
sible, and prevention in this case, as in many others, is 
better than cure ; and we all know the perverse tendency 
Iiose suckers have to come up, to the great disparage¬ 
ment of the head, as well as annoyance of other things 
around them; so fruit-trees, where they once begin to 
direct their energies to the production of useless suckers, 
soon become unfruitful. It is, therefore, on that account 
that I would not advise any grafted or budded tree to be 
too closely pruned in at any time, but they may be 
shortened back with every advantage; and, in the pre¬ 
sent instance, the Apple and Pear-trees of our corre¬ 
spondent may be more closely cut in than trees which 
have stood a longer time at one place, as the roots can 
scarcely be supposed to be charged with such a super¬ 
abundance of feeding matter as will not be absorbed by 
the part remaining. Nevertheless, for the reasons stated 
above, it is better not to cut in too closely. 
John Hobson. 
OUR HOUSE PLANTS IN AUGUST AND 
SEPTEMBER. 
( Continued from page 455.) 
Gesnera zebrina, now coming into bloom, should 
have weak manure-waterings frequently, alternating with 
clear water. The plants must either stand at a good 
distance from the glass, so that the sun’s rays are 
diffused before reaching them, or they must be slightly 
shaded, and air given before the sun strikes them, or 
the beauty of the foliage will be easily injured. Towards 
the end of October and onwards no shading will be 
necessary, as the sun’s rays will then fall obliquely, and 
not injure them. Other tuberous-rooted Gesneras that 
have done blooming treat as recommended for Aolnmenes ; 
Gloxinias, requiring, in most cases, the treatment of 
the latter. These three genera alone would make a 
small house very gay in summer, and most of the winter 
denizens of the house could go to an airy greenhouse. 
Poinsettias, Euphorbias, Eranthemums, Justicias, 
and other winter-blooming plants, will now require 
good open positions, plenty of sun-light, and a fair 
amount of water, and will do very well in pits, where a 
small heat can be given in emergencies until the month 
of October, when they should be housed. 
. Succulent Plants, such as Cactus or Cereits specio- 
1 sissima, speciosa, Ackermanii, Jenldnsonii, fiagelliformis, 
Russelliana, &c., if they cannot be kept where the sun 
, can beat on them under glass, will, as a second best 
position, do well close to a south wall, and with a coping 
or other contrivance near them overhead, to throw 
rains off both the branches and the roots, especially the 
latter. Unless in very hot weather indeed, the plants 
will now require little or no watering at the roots until 
next spring, when they begin to grow again, when the 
