34 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
welfare of the trees. Again, numbers of young shoots 
! may be found jammed between the branches and the 
| wall; this, it is evident, is not a favourable situation 
| for their full development or for their convenient train- 
! ing, and all such, unless in especial cases, should be at 
j once rubbed away. 
The cases here alluded to are those wherein naked 
portions of the wall intervene, or in the anticipated 
decay of certain branches; here, any covering is better 
than a naked, and, consequently, lost portion of walling, 
and shoots of any description may be reserved. These 
things done, that is, all improper “ foreright” and “ back” 
shoots removed, winch terms are used by practicals, the 
peach-dresser is in a position to commence, what we 
may term, singling-out, that is thinning-out crowded 
spray, in doing which it frequently happens that shoots 
in every way eligible to be reserved as far as fructifying 
character is concerned, must of necessity be stripped 
away. Of necessity, w r e say, because there will not be 
found training-room for them. 
We may here, however, pause for a moment, to observe 
on the amount of time such processes are permitted to 
occupy—an important affair. Our practice is to com¬ 
mence immediately we can fairly get hold of the young 
shoots; this is generally about the third week in April 
in Cheshire, and is, for the most part, performed about 
the period of the final falling away of the bloom or 
corolla. We contrive, too, in general, to run the hand 
over the Peaches and Nectarines—for it is these we are 
now considering — the moment before we apply the 
tobacco dressing; for if the aphides have commenced 
operations, we are thus enabled to remove any curled or 
much infested leaves, insects and all; and then we care¬ 
fully submit to a watery ordeal without hesitation. The 
shoots, moreover, are easier to distinguish before the 
tobacco-water is applied. Nevertheless we would by no 
means tie the hands of our readers in this respect; for 
happen what will, let by all means the timely destruction 
of the aphides be a ruling consideration. As before 
observed, we then remove the forenght and back shoots; 
and in about half a dozen more days we commence 
“ singling out,” as we term it; merely, in the first in¬ 
stance, setting the leading shoots at liberty, and re¬ 
moving one of twin shoots, which frequently abound. 
In another week or so we again pass our hands over 
them, still removing surplus shoots about which there 
can be no doubts ; and after this there is generally little 
to be performed in this way until the period for fasten¬ 
ing down the young shoots in reserve; which brings 
us up to the middle of June, or nearly so. 
We may here recapitulate the chief features of the 
practice. Commence early; disbud lightly and fre¬ 
quently; and in all doubtful cases, when the shoots get 
to be some three or four inches in length, be content 
with nipping off the end of the shoot, as a pro tempore 
kind of proceedure ; reserving the right of a total strip¬ 
ping away of such shoots ultimately if needs be. We 
will advert to other fruits shortly. R. Eheington. 
THE FLOWER-GARDEN. 
If the old saying, “long wet, long dry,” holds good 
j this season, next May or June will be anything but a 
good time for the flower-garden; and the sooner half- 
hardy plants are fit for removing into cool temporary 
beds, the more able they will be to stand against hot 
dry days, and cold nights with easterly winds; perhaps 
the worst kind of weather for turned-out plants. I do 
j not recollect a better winter for transplanting fine trees 
j and shrubs, laying grass, or making new walks, than the 
one we have just got through; and that was our chief 
employment here since last September, or I might say 
earlier. We have relaid a large breadth of grass, or 
[April 17. 
turf, which looks now as if nothing had been done to it. 
After laying turf we do not beat it down much. Hard 
beating grass for the sake of getting it more level is a 
practice we do not approve of; but all that is laid in one 
day should be well rolled before the work is left off for 
the night, and as often for a month or two afterwards as 
it can be done, more especially after frost or rain. I or 
the first three or four cuttings after turf is relaid, I think 
the mowing machine preferable to the best mower with 
tho scythe, because the bottom is not so sure or yielding 
as that of an old lawn. Some parts will be much harder 
and some more soft, and the scythe is more apt to 
graze or shave the harder parts than the machine; and 
a piece of grass, with some parts too closely cut, and 
other parts hardly close enough, looks patchy; besides the 
risk of a dry May, which might scorch the barest places, 
and so disfigure the place still more, until the July rains, 
or may be later rains, with longer nights put all to 
rights again; therefore, we have determined to keep 
the scythes off our new laid turf as long as possible. 
Then, as to those trees and bushes which have been lately 
removed, we have come to this conclusion, that after the 
first week of dry weather they shall be regularly watered 
at the roots once a week, and some of them, perhaps, 
oftener; and, also, on mild afternoons, the garden-engine 
for syringing all over the leaves shall be applied. The 
driest and most thirsty kinds of soil, if stirred deeply as 
for planting, cannot get dry in a week after such heavy 
and continuous rains as we have had this spring, and 
this is very likely to lead thousands astray in the matter 
of watering such things. It is not, however, when the 
soil gets dry down to the roots that one ought to begin 
watering—far from it; all the roots which feed the newly 
planted things are only newly formed, and they are as 
touchy as gunpowder, and a sudden drought will be 
certain to damage them. Add to this the chances of a 
long continuance of dry weather, bright sunny days, 
and parching easterly winds, all acting in conjunction 
to dry the system of the tree faster than the roots can 
forage for it, and I think we shall have made out a fail- 
case for early watering at the roots. But there is 
another inducement this season for attending to this 
work in proper time. There are more new roots now to 
such plants as we are considering than ever I remember 
to have seen; caused, no doubt, by the mildness of the 
winter, and the young wood looks as if the plants had 
not been removed, so that the wood and the leaves will 
be less likely to withstand too much dry weather, than 
if they were in the crippled condition in which others, 
under similar circumstances, were in this time last year 
from frosts and cold weather. What we consider now 
as favourable circumstances may, therefore, tell so much 
against us by and by, and a gallon of water given in 
good time, and even before there is any apparent need 
for it, may save nine, which given when too late may 
not save the ten after all; and, lastly, now that we are 
sure of an abundance of active roots, a gallon of liquid 
manure, not too strong, will go farther in keeping a tree 
prosperous than four gallons of rain or pond water. 
But as liquid manure is treacherous, and even very 
dangerous in the hands of new beginners, let us say that 
your trees are first to be watered with pond water, and 
directly afterwards apply the strong water as an extra 
dose. Those who drink spirits in water know very well 
that it is easier to get down when much reduced, than 
when less water is added; but reduce it as they may, 
they have taken down the same quantity of spirits to keep 
their spirits up ; and it is just so with this way of manag¬ 
ing liquid manure. I am not sure whether they have yet 
proved that the soil, say in a pot, after being thoroughly 
wetted with the hungriest kind of water, is capable of 
retaining the goodness out of liquid manure if applied 
immediately afterwards; but if it can be proved that 
soils are capable of doing so, or even proved the thing 
