July 6. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
251 
of pluck in this respect to the rest of Europe, they 
must not allow themselves to be daunted. Such seasons 
have occurred in former days, and will, at times, occur 
again. It is of no use harbouring tho idea that we are 
worse used than our forefathers; the good souls bore up 
with fortitude, and why not the present generation? 
Every one should, by this time, be awai-e, that light, 
sun-light, and heat, arc the cause of fruitfulness ; and, 
although there be certain fruits, such as the Morello 
Cherry, stewing Pears, and Black Currants, &c., which 
will succeed on the north side of a wall, yet not so with 
J those from warmer climes. If any one doubt this, let 
him try a Peach or an Apricot in such a situation; he 
may heat tho wall and soil if ho choose, but he will not 
meet with success. .1 must, therefore, beg our gentle 
readers to keep these facts alive continually in the 
mind’s eye, to confide in them, and to suffer them at all 
times to bias their practice when thinking about their 
fruits. 
It is during July that the broast-wood of all fruits, 
inclined to rampant growth, attains such a gross disposi¬ 
tion as to prove of serious mischief to those buds which 
are in course of organization for blossom in the ensuing 
spring, or are, by nature, designed to be their successors 
in future years. In July, they either attain a decided 
character in this respect, or aro thrown into an anomalous 
character, or are at once forced by circumstances to lo9e 
the impress which nature had given them, and to 
become rampaut shoots themselves. Hence the evil 
accumulates: a tree bearing fruit freely will not choke 
itself with useless spray; but plant a tree in generous 
soil, neglect it at the proper period, by suffering an 
unwarrantable amount of shade, and, consequently, 
barrenness, and you have the disposition increased; 
subsequent labour attains, as they say, its maximum 
point, and profit a minimum. 
The tree now, as 1 observed in a former paper, 
gradually assumes the character of a timber tree; and, 
wherever we find such on walls without a corresponding 
extent of branches and foliage, so sure we shall find 
barrenness. 
Such facts will, I trust, prove tolerably conclusive, 
and will pave the way to the practical advice which I 
intend to offer in this paper. 
Let me first ask, Are your extended leaders, required 
to cover naked portions of walls, pales, &c., fastened? 
If not, lose not an hour. I need not here dwell on the 
importance of getting every brick covered as soon as 
possible. After disbudding processes, this is tho very 
first stop. Those form an exception to the ordinary 
' shoots, inasmuch as they need not be stopped or pinched 
, unless very gross, when it frequently becomes expedient, 
in order to divert tho sap into weaker shoots, and to 
furnish laterals for covering a greater breadth of wall. 
Unless very robust, however, the latter reason may not 
bo permitted to influence tbe case ; it will be better to let 
them grow on, and make it a case of winter shortening. 
These remarks apply to almost every kind of trained 
fruits. 
I may ask, in the next place, if every shoot has been 
disbudded which is not required to be retained in tbe 
ensuing year? Some will say, “Oh, you must leave 
much more wood than is absolutely requisite, in case it 
is wanted.” I grant, that if you cannot rely on your 
course of practice and the soundness of your trees, you 
i must be content with what I will term the cramming 
[ system, or, rather, no system. Depend on it, however, 
j that where trees are stripped of their useless spray 
j betimes, the chances of fruitful habits are increased 
exceedingly, and the tendency to reproduce much waste 
wood continually diminished. Hence, ultimate economy 
in labour is involved in oarly attention, rather than 
neglect. I grant that it is very difficult to get a mere 
labourer to comprehend the practice; but that is no 
reason why we should not continually aim at good 
practice. It becomes those who write for the public to 
write up high practices, whether that public reach them 
or no. It is not right for the fugelman to compromise 
his dexterity, merely because ho has some awkward 
fellows in his squad. 
Let me next request that those gross-looking shoots, 
termed robbers, be beheaded, if hitherto neglected. I 
before pointed to certain exceptions in this caso, and, to 
save repetition, back papers may bo referred to. If this 
is done in the beginning of tho month, laterals will be 
produced, which will become tolerably firm, and prove 
serviceable at the winter pruning and training. Indeed, 
it will be proper to pinch most of the stronger wood in 
another month or so, following it up according to tho 
degree of strength relatively. I am of opinion, that 
most trained trees are benefited by this proceeding; it 
j has for its object concentration of elaborative energy, 
j a matter quite in antagonism to those late and untimely 
growths which dissipate, and which aro, in the main, 
the result of too much stimulus; in other words, are 
absorbing powers beyond the capability of the elabo¬ 
rations. 
This pinching, with me, is commenced just when the 
fruit, of whatever kind, is beginning the ripening process, 
and is done twice or thrice. Thus, say a Peach-tree, 
and it is the last week in July, or the first in August; 
the fruit just commencing what may be termed the first 
stage of ripening, which may be known by a sudden 
enlargment of the fruit, and a kind of waxy and mellow 
appearance. This, then, is, I think, the period in which 
I a partial stopping, or pinching proves of benefit; and, 
! as a kind of rule, since rules there must be, let about 
I one-third of the young and growing shoots be pinched ; 
and in another fortnight pinch about another third; the 
remainder may be left growing to the end of the season. 
Of course it will be understood that the very strongest 
aro first attacked; and in the second stopping a pre 
cisely similar course pursued; those, therefore, left at 
last, will be shoots which are rather below than above 
the ordinary strength. 
Now, such a course of practice is based, I conceive, 
on principles which will bear the severest scrutiny of 
both science and common sense, and I have indirect 
testimony that the profession, in the main, require 
them ; for, if I may bo allowed a little barmless egotism 
for a moment, I may observe, that I was probably tho 
first to promote an earnest recognition of such princi¬ 
ples; having urged them on the attention of the public 
some twenty years since in Loudon's Magazine; tho great 
grandfather of all our modern gardening periodicals. In 
conducting the Calendar, too, of the Gardeners' Chronicle , 
which I did for two consecutive years, I frequently took 
occasion to urge the importance of summer stopping, 
as compared to more winter pruning; and in Maund's 
Fruitist, Auetanum, &c., in like mannor. And now, I 
| seldom look at the calendars of the day in our contem 
porarics without finding recommendations of the kind; 
and I am sometimes so amused, as to whisper to myself, 
in the language of old Dennis, in “Joe Miller,” “ That’s 
my thunder.” Old Dennis had a patent for making 
thunder for histrionical matters, and some rogue had 
committed an act of piracy. 
But I must back to my fruit-trees.—This stopping, 
then, will be found to accomplish, more or less, three 
things; it will tend to solidify tho wood betimes; to in¬ 
crease the size of the fruit; and last, not least, to equal¬ 
ize the strength of the trees for ensuing years; I may 
also add, to mature all natural spurs or incipient blos¬ 
som-buds for tho ensuing spring. It must be remem¬ 
bered that the early part of July is the most searching 
period in a dry summer, and fruit-trees bearing full 
crops aro at this period heavily taxed ; watering, there¬ 
fore, becomes occasionally necessary under such circum- 
