December 18. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
175 
system, and that of covering the wall with numerous 
small shoots, as there is between broadcast and drill¬ 
cropping. We, therefore, hold it a fundamental maxim, 
so to arrange the wood of the trees, as that the sun 
shall freely shine on alternating portions totally un¬ 
obstructed. By such means, a reservoir of heat is con¬ 
tained in the wall, and this heat is emitted around and 
about the shoots long after sunset, especially if a good 
broad coping is over head to arrest the radiation. We 
felt obliged to point to this, in order to make the pruning 
comprehensible. 
The first thing the pruner can do, is to remove all 
those very gross shoots that have unluckily escaped 
the growth-pruner’s finger and thumb—such shoots in 
the large section as extend a half-yard or so in length. 
If they be leaders, of course they must be retained, but 
anywhere along the stem, as side or supernumerary 
shoots, they may be cut clear away, not leaving a morsel 
behind. In the moderate-growing kinds, what may be 
termed gross shoots will not be quite so long or so thick, 
but they may readily be distinguished. This refers to 
trees in which the “ growth-pruning” has been neglected; 
where such has been properly carried out, there will be 
little for the rest-pruner more than simply a slight thin¬ 
ning-out. 
Now, in the former case, whether the trees possess 
any gross shoots or not, if there be too many shoots, 
it is obvious that some must be removed. The pruner’s 
business in such cases is to first survey his tree to 
ascertain its strength, whether in parts or in whole, for 
it sometimes happens that one portion of a tree is too 
strong, whilst another is too weak. In thinning-out 
then—into which process the chief of the labours may 
be resolved—he must first assume a maximum of 
strength as to those shoots which are to be retained, 
and having done this in his mind, he may at once 
proceed to remove all above this point, which may be 
considered supernumeraries. But, says a novice, how 
am I to know which are surplus shoots ? Let it thus 
be defined. On the tying-down or succession system— 
by which term we shall designate it, as soon as we can 
fasten it on our readers’ memories—we make a point of 
reserving all the short-jointed shoots, if possible, and 
sometimes in the Plum, if the wood be small, we lay 
them in so thick, that the base of one shoot is not more 
than three inches from the base of another. By base, 
we mean the point on the leader whence the young 
shoot proceeds. We have trained Plums now of the 
Greengage, Royal Hative, Golden Drop, Orleans, Morocco, 
Precoce de Tours, Washington, &c., which have been 
thus treated for some seven years or more, which bear 
annually very good crops—the Greengage, a shy plum, 
excellent; and before this plan was adopted, the trees 
were more famous for wood than for fruit. But be it 
understood, these trees were planted on the platform- 
system, and their roots are under such steady control, 
that little pruning has to be performed, and the least 
approach to exhaustion is met, nay, anticipated, by 
liberal top-dressings applied in the end of May. 
Plowever, as our present advice must be shaped to 
meet difficult’cases, as our doctors say, the course of 
treatment must in some-wise differ—not in principle so 
much as degree. Now, the gross shoots having been 
cut clear away, and the remainder thinned duly out, 
according to previous directions, little remains to be 
done with old or bearing trees ; the leading shoots must 
be laid in full length, and all suckers extirpated. If 
the ti'ees are, indeed, too gross, let the operator at once 
root-prune; it is not, perhaps, the very best season for 
so doing, but never mind that. Directions for this pro¬ 
ceeding will be found in back numbers. 
About training the young shoots we need say little 
now; a chapter on training will not be without its use 
shortly. One observation must here be made, and that 
is, that young trees of the Plum in the course of train¬ 
ing, must be made amenable to the same laws as those 
of other trained trees. 
Pruning for wood must of course be resorted to in 
their earlier stages; this was, we believe, described 
under the head “ Cherry.” 
To those planting Plums, we would say, look well to 
the kinds in culture before you proceed. The lists in : 
these days are numerous, and doubtless some good 
things are to be found amongst the novelties. Mr. 
Rivers has been the means of introducing many new 
American kinds to public notice; of these, however, we | 
dare not say much from experience. He is a high 
authority, and must know full well by this time, which j 
are adapted for the climate of Britain. Our Plum 
selectors must please to bear in mind that we have 
not by any means the extremes of heat and cold our 
transatlantic brethren are obliged to submit to. Be¬ 
sides, we find by the Cincinnati Horticultural Review, 
a periodical well befitting a new district, and which we 
receive regularly through the kindness of Dr. Warder, 
the Editor, that they have many ills to combat in fruit 
culture—among the rest, weevils in abundance. 
R. Errtngton. 
THE ELOWER-GAKDEN. 
Miscellaneous Climbing Roses. —Here I shall group 
together a few old and well-known climbing roses, with¬ 
out which no collection or selection can be considered 
complete. Banksians, white and yellow, require a good 
south wall, and rich light soil on a dry bottom. They 
flower—differently from all other roses—on the wood 
that was made the previous season ; therefore, if we 
were to prune them in the winter, as we do other roses, 
we should never have any flowers from them, because 
the flowering wood would be carried off in the pruning. 
When they are young, or for the two first years after 
planting, they should be cut in close in October, but any 
time to the end of February will do; although I put 
much stress on having all roses, while they are young, 
pruned in October, they will not take much harm it the 
pruning is delayed two or three months longer. 
I would also strongly advise to keep suckers from 
young roses, particularly the climbing ones, and more 
particularly these Banksian roses; for unless a clear, 
clean stem is first provided, there is no end to the 
confusion of their suckers. They are generally grown 
on their own roots, and that does very well when the 
soil and subsoil is favourable ; but it is seldom that one 
meets with the real kind of soil in which they flourish 
to perfection, and one hears more complaints about the 
barrenness of Banksians than of any other roses. 
Whenever there are any doubts about the soil, or when 
they flower but sparingly, I would confidently advise to 
have them hudded on short stocks of the Felicite per- 
petuelle, the best grower of all the roses known ; and if 
six-inch cuttiugs of it were made, as I have often ex¬ 
plained, stocks from them will never make a sucker 
above the collar, nor from the roots either, it strong 
growers like the Banksians are worked on them. Laure 
Davoust, aud all the Grevillii or Midtiflora roses, 
should also be on stocks of the Felicite perpetuelle, all 
of them being too tender in the roots for nine-tenths 
of our gardens. 
For a long time it was the custom with many ama¬ 
teurs to prune Banksian roses at the same time as the 
rest of their stock, and of course they got no bloom : 
worth speaking of; but now every one knows that the 
right time of pruning is just after the flowers are over, 
either by the end of May or early in June; also that 
very strong shoots ought to be stopped before they are 
a foot long, as gross wood of them seldom produces 
much bloom; and every bit of new growth after the 
