238 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[July IT. 
abundance of wood, and tbe trees are but too apt to 
require double attention at tbe very period when they 
promise the least return. However, to be daunted is 
not the way to progress. Hope beckons us on, pointing 
to the many triumphs that have been achieved in her 
name. 
Trained plums do not produce their young wood in 
so continuous a way as the pear, for the most part they 
make a fitful growth during the month of June, and 
thenceforward seem almost stationary. Young trees 
indeed, will continue producing much wood up to the 
middle of July, when they even speedily attain the 
position of the older ones. Trained plums generally 
produce some coarse breast-shoots at those points of 
the brambles where, from training circumstances, the 
branch is made to assume an angle or bond. Such 
shoots are mostly of the class technically termed “ rob¬ 
bers,” and, as we have before observed, should be 
treated as such betimes, stripping all such away, or 
finishing off their points if eligibly situated for the 
production of useful succession wood. 
Beyond such points, nevertheless, healthy trees will 
produce occasionally such robber-shoots; the main 
stems, therefore, must be traced through, and this 
practice carried to the very extremity of the branches. 
Next to these there will generally arise an order of 
i spray, tolerably eligible for future bearing purposes, but 
by far too much crowded, such, therefore, may be 
pinched back a little while after the “ robbers ” are 
removed, to within about three inches of the base, in 
the hopes of inducing them to form natural spurs 
around their base, which not unfrequently becomes a 
nucleus of spurs. If, however, such does not take 
place, all such should be cut clear away at the next 
winters’ pruning. After these things are carried out, 
the trees will present an equal and moderated ap¬ 
pearance, and if care has been taken to thin out or 
“ stop ” duly, light will be equally admitted to all parts 
of the tree. One thing may here be observed, if the 
trees are old and exhausted, much of the strongest young 
wood must be reserved, especially if towards the ex¬ 
tremities of the branches, but if the tree is growing 
wild it becomes expedient to remove or shorten the 
coarser shoots, in order to tame the tree. 
All young plums in course of training on espalier 
rails, walls, &c., must have leading shoots laid in with 
care and accuracy, according to the principles of 
training chalked out. Another point—if the trees are 
infested with aphides still, let not a moment be lost in 
cleansing them; the injury they are capable of in¬ 
flicting at a late period is greater than even that at an 
earlier; they now devour the highly-prepared aliment 
of both the present and tbe future crop, rendering the 
present unsatisfactory in flower, and laying the founda¬ 
tion of a lean development of blossoms in the ensuing 
spring. 
Cherries. —After dealing somewhat largely with the 
plum, there is no occasion to run the risk of being 
prolix with the cherry; the treatment being nearly 
identical, at least as to principle. Here, again, surplus 
shoots may be pinched back, for we would rub scarcely 
any away with the cherry, on account of their very 
pointed tendency to form a nucleus of natural 
blossom-spurs around the base of every pinclied-back 
shoot. The cherry, moreover, has not such a tendency 
; to produce supernumerary shoots, especially the larger- 
habited kinds. The Morello class, indeed, as young 
' au d healthy trees, produces young twigs in abundance, 
; but these are capable of being laid in very close as 
compared with most other fruits. Let, therefore, all 
j shoots that are considered unnecessary be shortened 
back to about four or five inches, thus leaving three or 
four healthy leaves at the lower end of each shoot. 
The cherry not being classed with such tender fruits as 
the peach, does not by any means require, nor enjoy, 
that intensity of solar light and heat; a moderate 
amount of shade is, therefore, not only permissible but 
requisite, especially in hot periods. Here, again, let all 
aphides be at once exterminated; we need hardly repeat 
the arguments applied to the plum, or remark on the 
efficiency of tobacco-water to accomplish this. 
The Double-bearing Raspberry. — If the useless 
suckers have not been cleared away before, let it be 
done immediately. A selection of shoots may be now 
carefully made; for those which are to produce the 
autumnal crop may be readily distinguished; indeed, 
they will be near blossoming. The shoots must be 
kept thin, not above half so thick as the other rasp¬ 
berries ; and they should be carefully trained to stakes 
or lines immediately. As soon as this is done, it is well 
to apply a coating of mulch, and water should be 
frequently administered: this is very important. Let, 
therefore, every useless sucker be drawn away, and see 
that no other crop shades them. They will never prove 
satisfactory unless they enjoy a full exposime to the 
southern sky. 
The Fastolff Raspberry not unusually produces 
late blooming shoots of the habit of the double-bear¬ 
ing ; when such is the case they should receive a 
separate stake about this period, leaving the stake out¬ 
wards. 
The Alpine Strawberries. —Let us again remind 
our readers of the necessity of keeping the waterpot in 
use in dry weather; and of stripping away all runners 
not wanted for the future crops. Early blossoms, too, 
which had escaped notice, may be cut away, and every 
means taken by high culture and free circulation of air, 
with full exposure to sunshine, to force a good show of 
late bloom. 
As the Eltons will be in full bearing all through 
August there will be no occasion for these to come in 
until September. 
Gooseberries. —Let all suckers be cleared away, and 
means taken to retard some for late purposes. About 
this we must offer advice of a special character shortly. 
Currants (Red and White) .—If the watery spray and 
breast-wood has not been cut back, let it be done forth¬ 
with, leaving a nice degree of shading for the fruit. 
The first stage of retardation should take place with 
these as with tbe gooseberry, which, in our practice, 
consists in applying some mats in a loose way for a 
week or two, just when about to turn colour. Plenty 
of advice, in detail, will be found in back numbers. 
Currants (Blade). —The fruit, of course, all gath¬ 
ered ; if time permits, let them have an occasional 
drenching with the soap-suds of the laundry, even sous¬ 
ing their leaves well in the liquor. This will drive or 
extirpate the aphides, and give the currants a very 
superior chance next spring. 
Root-pruning. —It may seem strange to introduce 
this portion of fruit-culture at this period, but we still 
adhere to the opinion—albeit not based on much expe¬ 
rience at this season—that it would be wise to root- 
prune, in degree , many unmanageable subjects, provid¬ 
ing they have little or no fruit. We would not, how¬ 
ever, be by any means severe in the operation just at 
present; it will suffice merely to detach a few r of the 
extreme points of the rambling fibres. If the trench 
or excavation can be conveniently left out, so much the 
better; if not, it may be filled again; and, in extreme 
cases, another and rather more severe operation of the 
kind performed in the last week of October, providing 
it is deemed necessary. The effect of a trifling check 
of the kind now will be to cause a much greater solidi¬ 
fication of the wood than heretofore ; in other words, 
better ripened wood. This, however, will concern more 
immediately the w r ood of the present year; but, in order 
to operate effectually on the whole system of a gross tree, 
