April 25.1 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
out, which is the means of not only continuing the 
present crop in the greatest of health and luxuriance, 
but at the same time is making a beautiful preparation 
for the succeeding crop. 
“ I keep all ground, as soon as a crop is done with, 
| well trenched, burying all the refuse I possibly can in a 
green state, casting the earth into rough ridges, tumbling 
I those ridges over with a strong fork on frosty mornings 
j in winter and spring, and during hot sunny days in 
! summer; continually changing the crops; keeping the 
hoe at work at all seasons in suitable weather; and fork- 
j mg up all odd corners and spare ground without loss of 
| time. By this management, 1 find the ground is always 
j in good condition, and never tired by cropping; some 
I judgment only being exorcised in applying such proper¬ 
ties again to the soil that have been taken from it, or 
that are likely to be required by the succeeding crop. 
To rent, or fallow, ground for any length of time is only 
loss of time and produce; more benefit will be obtained by 
trenching and forking, in frosty or hot sunny weather, in 
a few days, than by a whole season of what is erroneously 
called rest or fallow. Trench, fork, and hoe; change 
every succeeding crop; return to the earth all refuse 
that is not otherwise useful in a green state, adding a 
change of other manures occasionally, especially charred 
refuse of any kind, at the time of putting the crop into 
the ground. Every succeeding crop will be found healthy 
and luxuriant, suffering but little either from drought, 
too much moisture, or vermin.” 
All who have tried charred vegetable refuse as a ferti¬ 
lizer add their testimony to that of Mr. 1 fames, that it 
is one of the best of manures. It is far more powerful, 
that is, it will produce a better crop of any kitchen- 
garden plant, than will an equal quantity of the same 
vegetable refuse uncharred. The reason of this appears 
to be, that charred, not carbonized, vegetable refuse 
decays faster than does the refuse uncharred; the earthy 
matters mixed with the refuse, also, become saturated 
with oxygen and carbonic acid during the process of 
charring, and these earthy matters, in which we include 
the oxide of iron which they contain, give out the excess 
of those gases to the roots of the crop. Moreover, 
charred refuse promotes the dryness, and, consequently, 
the warmth of a soil; for not only is that refuse dried 
by the process of charring, but the mucilage and other 
parts ot it, which become moist during decay, are de¬ 
composed, and only the more solid parts remain, which 
drily moulder away during their putrefaction. That 
charred refuse does promote the dryness and warmth of 
a soil is readily perceived, if it he sown in drills with the 
seed. The surface soil over those drills is always drier 
than the other parts of the surface. 
THE EEUIT-GAKDEN. 
M all 1 rices, Disbudding, &c.— We have in previous 
numbers led the peach and nectarine cultivator through 
the planting, pruning, training, &o., of these fruits on 
walls, and we have shewn to him the inodes of bidding 
defiance to the aphides and the red spider. We must 
now carry him forward to the principles of disbudding, 
45 
for this forms one important item in the successful cul¬ 
ture of the peach and nectarine. 
For the information of those who are for the first time 
trying their hand at the culture of these fruits, we may 
as well say why this disbudding becomes necessary. 
In the first place, let it be considered what a vast 
difference exists between an ordinary peach-tree in its 
own climate, where it is unattached to a wall, and one 
under a course of training. The tree in its natural con- , 
dition enjoys an amount of light, independent of sun¬ 
shine, unknown to British skies; its limbs can stretch 
right and left, up and down, and bathe in the bright 
ethereal medium without hindrance; for light on all 
sides assists in the general elaboration of the secretions. 
Not so, however, the peach or nectarine sprucely trained 
on the south wall, of which the roots—if the doctrine of t 
reciprocity between root and branch be admitted (and 
who can gainsay it as a principle)—should receive a 
degree of limitation equal to that of the branches. Here 
the tree derives all its light from one side, so that if two 
shoots spring together it is evident that the leaves of 
the foremost one will intercept the light from the other: 
and equally evident, that in proportion to the amount of , 
shade just so imperfect wall be the organization of those , 
buds attached to the shaded branches. Thus, then, j 
were a peach-tree left without disbudding it would be¬ 
come a thicket of useless spray, and the fruit would be j 
exceedingly diminished both in size and flavour. 
To remedy this, when the young shoots are about a I 
couple of inches in length, which is generally the case j 
by the time the trees have done blossoming, strip away j 
the foreright shoots, that is to say, those shoots which ! 
extend outwards from the wall, and which at once shew j 
that they are ill adapted for training to it: an exception | 
may be taken where the tree is lean of shoots, for eveii a I 
crooked or inferior shoot is preferable to a lost space on ! 
the wall. Next, let the operator, with a hammer in one ; 
hand, examine the trees carefully, and see if any young 
shoots have become lodged between the old wood and ! 
the wall; all such may be stripped away also, unless 
required to fill a blank, then the nearest nail must be 
eased with the hammer in order to give the young shoot 
more liberty. 
These things carried out, the trees may remain un¬ 
touched for a week; for a too severe disbudding per¬ 
formed at once is very prejudicial to the peach; we 
have known trees thus treated to become almost sta¬ 
tionary, as to farther growth and enlargement of the 
fruit; but by disbudding at intervals nature gradually 
diverts the juices into fresh channels, and thus the tree 
is gradually led to submit and shape itself to the objects 
of the cultivator. After the lapse of about a week 
another examination may take place, and farther dis¬ 
budding will be necessary. The hand of the dresser 
must now be applied with some judgment: selection 
becomes necessary. In the first place, in order that no 
confusion takes place in the work, the best way is to look 
over all the leading points, and as it is not good practice 
to suffer two or three shoots to grow side by side, all 
competing shoots within four inches of the terminal one I 
may he at once stripped away, unless in the case of ; 
young trees, and where it is desirable to cover much I 
walling in a limited time. Having disposed of this part 1 
of the matter, let the eye he turned to those shoots situ- I 
ated the lowest down in any given fork —by which term ! 
is meant, the angle formed by the divergence of any two 
limbs; these may be considered as nursery shoots, or as '■ 
reserve stock, and the exciting these to develop them- j 
selves, and duly nursing them afterwards, constitutes ! 
one of the main features of the primer's art. If a selec- j 
tion offers, choose a couple of the best and lowest, and ; 
pinch or stop the very lowest when about three inches 
long, suffering the other to ramble freely; if only ono 
present itself, it must not be stopped until it begins to 
