May 8.] THE COTTAGJ 
quantity of the proper material, and to make them up, for 
which ds is charged; and I find they will go free by post for 
another shilling." 
Any person requiring a dress must write to J. H. 
i Payne, Esq., Bury St. Edmunds. 
THE FRUIT-GARDEN. 
Newly Planted Fruit-trees. —We again advert to 
the propriety of paying much attention to such at this 
period, for by so doing a whole twelvemonth, as to the 
size of the tree, may be gained; and the importance of 
this, especially as to trees on walls or trellises, need 
scarcely be urged. In the first place, the waterpot must 
be put in requisition if dry weather ensue, especially if 
the trees have not been mulched. If the latter is the 
case, much slighter waterings will suffice, for the evapor¬ 
ation proceeds very slowly from soils mulched over. 
Many trees have been injured by overwatering in the 
latter case; and such, we imagine, is the reason why 
some persons are against the use of mulch. It must be 
confessed, that this process impedes, in some degree, the 
I reception of the increasing warmth of the atmosphere, 
I and so far may be considered a slight evil. This, liow- 
j ever, we consider amply compensated for by the defence 
it constitutes against sudden droughts, which surely it 
j requires no pains to prove, are exceedingly injurious to 
fresh planted trees; the roots of which, being in a weak 
or somewhat torpid condition, are ill calculated to bear 
farther check, and, indeed, need every appliance which 
can be furnished. 
We should consider it good practice for those who 
I have but a few trees to manage, and have plenty of time 
on their hands, to remove mulchings for a few days in 
the end of April or beginning of May, in order to suffer 
the soil about the roots to receive warmth from the at¬ 
mosphere. This it would do in a week; and the mulch, 
which had been merely turned aside, could be restored 
to its former position. In all cases of watering such 
trees during the spring months, we advise that it be up 
plied during sunshine, and, indeed, when the mulch has 
become warmed. This will carry a little warmth to the 
| roots, instead of starving them, which very cold water 
! would be sure to do. However, warmed water may be 
used, and this would be by far the best practice; in 
which case it should be from 70° to 80°. By the time 
this became filtered through the soil, it would be robbed 
of some 8° or 10° of its heat. 
Care oe the Foliage. —If this is important with es¬ 
tablished trees, how much more so with newly-planted 
ones. The utmost care should be taken to extirpate 
caterpillars, and indeed all insects, before they commit 
their depredations. If the aphides attack them, tobacco 
water or fumigation should be bad recourse to; the 
! latter process may be easily performed, by tacking a 
sheet or other covering before them. The sulphur paint 
I should, by all means, be applied, especially to peaches, 
nectarines, and pears ; for the latter often suffer much 
J from the red spider. Syringing occasionally, provided 
the weather is warm, is of some benefit, as tending to a 
free and liberal development of the foliage ; cleansing 
also from impurities. 
Disbudding. — Newly-planted trees seldom require 
much assistance in this way, yet some little may become 
necessary. What are termed “ maiden ” trees are apt to 
produce a confused mass of shoots, especially strong 
young peach-trees; and it becomes sometimes necessary 
to remove ill-placed shoots. The better plan, as a gene¬ 
ral practice, is to merely pinch out the point of those 
supposed to be useless when they are about three inches 
in length; by those means tho effect is not so stagnating 
as the root action; and, moreover, it is impossible to 
GARDENER. 07 
say, at an early period of the summer, wliat accidents 
may occur to tire other shoots. The stumps or base oi 
such shoots may be reserved at the winter’s pruning, 
for in budding at the ensuing spring they will afford 
multiplied chances of making a selection, and carrying 
out the desired form or mode of training. 
Training. —Our favourite maxim with young trees of 
any kind intended for fan training, is to train a pair ol 
shoots on each side, right and left, the first season, car¬ 
rying one perpendicularly ; and on this latter shoot we 
mainly depend for ultimately completing the fabric oi 
the tree. Now this will, doubtless, appear unsound 
doctrine to some old practitioners; such a shoot they 
will be ready to imagine would lord it too much over 
its weaker neighbour. And so it would, but lor some 
finger and thumb work. 
This sort of handling was too little known in former 
days; winter pruning, done according to cut and dry 
prescriptions, reigned supreme; and the patience evinced 
by our old knights of the pruning knife, was not ex¬ 
celled by the labours of the mythological Sisyphus. 
Let all amateurs, therefore, bear in mind that the cen¬ 
tral leader, or indeed any other portion of a tree, may be j 
kept in the utmost subjection by summer, stopping, 
through so simple a machine as the finger and thumb. 
We have grown peach-trees, years ago, in which a cen¬ 
tral shoot, and one of the most luxuriant, was left in¬ 
tentionally to prove the immense power of “ stopping; 
and by following up the process annually, for several 
years, the shoot remained alive, but was soon left be¬ 
hind by the very weakest shoots at the lowest portions 
of the branches. 
This was an experiment only, but perfectly illustrative 
of tho power of finger and thumb stopping, during the 
spring and summer, over that of the pruning knife 
during the winter season. This central shoot then, if 
healthy, may be kept as a reserve, or in order to mul¬ 
tiply branches at pleasure; when such are needed, the 
centre may produce them unmolested; when the re¬ 
verse, the stopping may occasionally be bad recourse to. 
This principle may be applied to most of our fruits in a 
young state; and with it we see no reason to adopt any 
other mode of training, on the score of real utility , than 
the fan mode. 
By the time this reaches the readers of The Cottage 
Gardener, it will be time to fasten newly-planted trees 
to the wall or trellis; for it will be remembered that 
such were recommended to be left rather loose for a few 
weeks, or until tho soil settled. The bauds or fastenings, 
nevertheless, should still have ample liberty, for the soil 
will still settle, and the tree must be permitted to settle 
too, or rifts may take place in the soil, together with de¬ 
rangement of the young fibres. 
The young shoots from “ maiden ’ plants need not, be 
trained to form the lower portion of the tree the first 
year, but a half-way position between the horizontal or 
ground line and tho central leader, or at an angle of 
from forty to fifty degrees. Thus, the central shoot, and 
the side ones requiring a separate course of treatment, 
will be somewhat apart; and the eye of the most un¬ 
practised, if they will observe what we have here said 
on the subject, will see at a glimpse how affairs stand. 
What are termed “ trained” trees, however, require a 
| different, course. Here sufficient shoots, or nearly so, 
i exist to form the tree; and such must at once be trained 
precisely in the position intended as permanent; still, 
however, reserving a good central shoot, as in the case 
j of the maiden trees, which shoot must, of course, be 
pruned back, in order to produce side-shoots. We may 
shortly offer seasonable advice as to trained espaliers; 
for what has here been observed has reference chiefly to 
wall-trees; although the principles of management are. j 
identical, the difference in application being in the main , 
controlled or biassed by the form ultimately required. 
