188 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
the practice of severe disbudding may, and ought to be, 
deviated from. Trees in this condition generally make 
an effort later in the season to recover their lost ground ; 
and, when such is the case, a much greater quantity of 
young spray may be retained for awhile. This will 
encourage a renewed root-action, on which so much 
depends; and which, of course, has been thrown into a 
state of torpidity by the “ fret” before alluded to. In 
the course of two or three weeks, however, some of these 
shoots will begin to overtake the others, and the best 
way, then, is to commence stopping the points of some 
of the most doubtful, for the ripening of the wood has to 
he thought of, and this depends on access of light, as, 
also, in a minor degree, on a tolerably early cessation of 
growth. With regard to healthy trees in full bearing, 
the case is widely different. Here, it may be presumed, 
the root is all right, and no doctoring requisite. 
In such cases there does not appear a single excuse 
for a person (conversant with the reasons for, and the 
practice of, disbudding) retaining a shoot more than is 
requisite ; for we well know, that every little obstruction 
of solar light through the autumn is, in our wayward 
climate, a decided loss; since all is required to ripen 
the wood, the all-important basis of successful culture. 
Let the trees, therefore, be closely examined this once 
more; for nothing will remain to be performed hence¬ 
forth but a little “ stopping” in August, of which more 
in due time. Let every improper shoot he either stripped 
away, or what, perhaps, is better at this period, pinch 
or cut them back to about a couple of eyes, for the 
stripping of them now is apt to produce a wound—a 
thing by no means desirable. Another proceeding of 
some importance, is to see that no crowding takes place 
through the mere extension of the legitimate shoots. 
These, in the course of elongation, frequently overtake 
others a-head; and although there was sufficient room 
for them when first trained in, yet, in course of time, they 
overtake each other, and produce injurious effects 
through shade. Stopping is here of much service, be 
the period what it may; but a selection must be made 
as to the proper shoots to stop. In all such cases, it is 
best to suffer the most advanced leader to proceed; 
such leaders, we mean, as represent a shoot, or rather 
branch, of some consideration; one that we may count 
upon as constituting a portion of the permanent fabric 
of the tree; and, if such proceeds as a principal from 
the very bole of the tree, it deserves a double cousidera- 
tion. Those pressing on it may be stopped according 
to the order in which they grow, always keeping the 
previous suggestion in view. There is, however, one 
collateral consideration which ought to produce a bias, 
less or more, in this procedure, and that is, the com¬ 
parative strength or leanness of the shoot or shoots in 
question. One fact must ever be kept strongly in view 
by the peaoh dresser, and that is, the fact that when it 
is desired to draw an increase of sap into any given 
shoot, stopping is decidedly inimical to such intention. 
Our olden gardeners used to say “ stop it to strengthen 
it; ” and, in one sense, and that a limited one, it was 
true; hut such has reference mainly to the business of 
the present year. The leaving inferior portions of the 
tree growing in order to increase vigour in these parts, 
is a matter hearing on future seasons. Those especially, 
who are rearing young trees, will do well to keep a fixed 
eye on this principle, for it has a closer relation to such 
than to established trees, although always a maxim of 
importance. 
Robbehs.— These must be treated as a class entirely 
distinct from the preceding; inasmuch as their effect, 
both on root and branch, is much more powerful; induc¬ 
ing the former into an unnecessary amount of action, 
and the latter into a degree of unequal luxuriance, 
which, unless arrested, soon destroys the quality, and, 
by consequence, the symmetry of the tree. It does really 
[June 2G. 
seem strange to see with what pertinacity some persons , 
will cling to these gouty monopolists; shoots of some two 
to four feet in length, may not unfrequently be seen j 
laid in their whole length, only to furnish exercise for ! 
the pruning knife in the ensuing winter. Does it never 
occur to those that practice thus, that it is but “doing j 
and undoing,” and that it is quite easy to make ono 
gross shoot into four or five useful ones. 
Now, it would appear from experience, that the encou¬ 
ragement of these robbers for a short period is, under 
certain circumstances, of much service to the tree, by 
calling into being a more active state of root, when the 
latter, from overbearing, age, or other causes, has be¬ 
come somewhat supine. But having produced such 
effects, which will he the case, try the middle of June 
with those which spring forth during May; the sooner 
their heads are pinched off the better, in order that the 
spray which emanates from them may become tolerably 
well ripened. Such, however, to be thorougldy de¬ 
pended on, should be produced in the end of April; and, 
in such case, they maybe pinched long before the middle 
of June, producing secondary shoots, or side-spray, which 
may be ripened in tolerable perfection. This side-spray, 
nevertheless, should also be pinched about the first week 
in April; which will much facilitate its ripening, and 
throw the sap, which had been appropriated by them, 
into inferior, but more fruitful channels. 
These robbers will, moreover, require a thinning out of 
their side-spray after pinching; for where trees are wild in 
growth, a host of such will sometimes be produced, even 
these secondary shoots bursting into spray: such ac¬ 
quire a most prejudicial amount of luxuriance, and 
constitute a case for root-pruning, or entire transplant¬ 
ing. Where such is the case with young trees, with little 
or no fruit on them, our advice is, throw out a trench at 
about three or four feet from the wall, in the middle of 
August, and let it remain out for some weeks. In doing 
this, every root may be cut through that projects beyond 
this line. The tree may droop a little, but this does 
not matter, provided the cutting is not carried to a 
great extreme, and that the subject operated on is very 
gross and unfruitful. If this is performed judiciously, 
there will he no occasion for transplanting, unless the 
soil beneath is considered improper in texture or stag¬ 
nant. In filling this excavation again, which may be 
done in the beginning of November, some free turfy 
loam should be substituted, if at hand, for the old soil; 
but adding no manurial matters. 
Stopping. —One of the last proceedings which we have 
to recommend, with regard to the summer culture of the 
peach and the nectarine, is a somewhat general pinching 
or stopping of the young shoots about the first week in 
August. This is a course not generally practised; and is, 
when trees are hard worked, or lean in condition, more 
honoured in the breach than the observance. Never¬ 
theless, we have always found it good practice, and it 
would seem, moreover, a proceeding strictly couiformable 
to a scientific view of the alfair. Our view of the doc¬ 
trine stands thus:—The thoroughly perfecting both 
wood and fruit, on any given fruit-tree, subjected to a 
less amount of heat and light than it enjoys in its native 
clime, depends on a proper concentration of its energies 
about the period of the ripening of the fruit. Rapid 
growth, or, indeed, growth of any kind, as involved in 
extension principally, is somewhat oppiosed to this con¬ 
centration of energy. Moreover, mere extension of 
parts at late periods is antagonistic to that distension 
of the full-grown leaves, the principal source of the 
accretive principle, which guarantees a liberal amount 
of secretion, on which, of course, the size and flavour 
of the fruit depends. Stopping at such a period, then, 
tends to sustain the full capacity of the principal leaves, 
and the functions of the tree henceforth becomes almost 
entirely eiaborative. We name this by the way, and 
