THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
301 
August 15.] 
quisite for tender fruits be bestowed in summer, instead 
of so much elaborate nonsense about winter pruning. 
If there be any truth in this, both common sense and 
economy will be found on its side ; surely a man's day s 
labour is a more productive article in July than in 
January ! 
Let those, then, who deem it expedient to follow the 
advice of The Cottage Gardener, carefully examine 
all their trained trees immediately ; there is still time on 
all good aspects to obtain pretty firm wood, by a careful 
and immediate removal of all waste spray. 
In order to give our observations a definite character, 
in which shape they are chiefly useful to amateurs and 
young beginners, we will point at once to some trees 
with their probable condition at this period. 
The Peach and Nectarine.- —About this period, and 
a little sooner, peaches which had grown at only a 
reasonable rate during the early part of summer, burst 
forth with an improper amount of strength ; and shoots 
which had been pinched long since, through luxuriance 
(or a doubt of the propriety of retaining them finally), 
produce a considerable amount of axillary shoots; and 
these shoots at once arrest and appropriate the ascend¬ 
ing sap ; they also create an injurious amount of shade 
to the true and bearing wood. All such should be 
pinched immediately; and it is not unlikely that they 
will require pinching again within another fortnight or 
three weeks. The production of such spray, at a late 
season, argues a too powerful action of root; and some 
persons would be ready, under such circumstances, to 
advise root pruning. Now, although strong advocates 
for this process, and probably the first to urge it in 
general practice in this country, yet we would by no 
means interfere with the vegetable economy, at this 
period, in trees bearing fruit. 
It will be frequently seen in the peach and the nec¬ 
tarine, that fine growing young shoots may be seen over 
the centre of the tree, and, perhaps, on one particular 
side, whilst the extremities of the limbs, which are 
carrying a crop, are void of young shoots, or carry a 
stunted appearance. This frequently happens from the 
circumstance of such shoots having carried a heavy 
crop on their extreme boughs the year previously, 
whereby those portions had been too heavily drawn 
upon, and a temporary exhaustion is the consequence 
Now, if the ascending current of sap is not transmitted 
sufficiently copiously to excite these branches into 
young wood, a partial contraction of the sap vessels will 
take place; and such will have to be pruned away 
before long, in order to give place to a progeny which 
have fattened at their expense. Now, lopping off the 
older limbs of peaches and nectarines is but a perilous 
practice at the best; and it is well to know, that by an 
early stopping of most of the stronger young shoots below 
them, and stopping again if necessary, such old shoots 
may be reinvigorated by a fresh infusion of the ascend¬ 
ing sap, which, as before observed, had been arrested in 
its passage. In other words, they will commence making 
young shoots with freedom ; and these young shoots (as 
encouraging a renewed vitality) will save them from 
destruction, as well as cause the fruit to become better 
fed, or, in other words, more perfect. 
As to stopping, our practice is to stop every shoot in 
the first week of August that is of sufficient length for 
the next year’s purpose, excepting in the case of deli¬ 
cate or weak trees; here there is no occasion, nature or 
accident will stop such soon enough. An exception is 
also taken in favour of weak shoots on robust trees— 
these are left unstopped altogether. And now it is that 
the renewed balance of strength takes place; the weaker 
and unstopped shoots, at this general stopping, soon 
show signs of having strengthened at the expense of 
their proud neighbours; and before the latter can 
develop other buds, autumn with its chills has arrived, 
and it is scarcely possible for them to do much mis¬ 
chief. 
There can be little doubt that this general stopping 
(which should be performed as soon as the last swelling 
has fairly commenced) increases both the size and the 
flavour of the fruit—at least, so we have always found 
it. And no wonder gross youug trees produce not such 
high-flavoured fruit as older and more solidified trees ; 
and why ? Merely because a too rapid or copious influx 
of the ascending sap is in antagonism to flavour. What 
then occurs in any given branch stopped or pinched as 
we describe? Why, a portion of the demand being cut 
off, in the character of growing spray, the supplies of 
the ascending current become proportionately limited. 
Not so, however, the elaboration, or, shall we say, con¬ 
centration? This is augmented in power, inasmuch as 
this stopping tends to keep the original, or first-formed, 
leaves well distended—a thing absolutely necessary, in 
order that plenty of material for the elaborative pro¬ 
cesses should exist in the neighbourhood of the fruit 
until perfected. Therefore, let all young peach growers 
believe, that to keep the large leaves that cater tor the 
fruit well fed, and to encourage a late growth at the ex¬ 
tremities, are two very different matters. 
It was by such means, and such alone, that the 
splendid peaches which we used to exhibit at the 
Societys’ meetings some years since were produced, and 
which attracted so much notice. We frequently attend 
the great London “ shows, ” as well as some of the 
country ones, but we have never met with any that 
would prove an overmatch for such, if, indeed, they 
would equal them. If this appears egotistic, we say, in 
apology, that it appeared necessary in order to illustrate 
the matter in hand. 
The Pear. —This all-important fruit, so necessary to 
the winter dessert (for who does not covet a rich melt¬ 
ing pear in December and January?) deserves some 
consideration as well as the peach. Although the prin¬ 
ciples of stopping, and the general control and equalisa¬ 
tion of the vital fluids, are of equal application here; 
yet some peculiarities of habit—arising in part from 
modes of training—require special notice. 
In the first place, then, once more put the trees under 
a thorough revision; that is, remove all watery spray 
produced since the last disbudding ; “ leave not a wreck 
behind ” of this powerful witness of a pampered consti¬ 
tution, as well as harbinger of future barrenness. Next 
in order, take care that every leading shoot considered 
necessary for the future year be carefully tied down or 
nailed. This done, all that remains may be examined 
closely, and every short-jointed shoot of a brown and 
fruitful-looking character, especially those with enlarged 
buds, indicating thereby a guarantee of early and sure 
fruitfulness, tied down or nailed. The residue will be 
rejected spray; but a little caution is necessary in the 
disposal of this. 
On the cooler aspects, and where a doubt exists in 
any situation in our northern counties, the better way 
will be to cut such all away to within two or three leaves 
of the base of each shoot. In doing this, regard must 
be paid to kind as well as aspect. Such kinds as the 
Easter Beurre, and some of the autumn-ripening kinds, 
will be liable to a premature ripening, if exposed too 
suddenly to intense sunshine; for it so happens, that 
what perfects the future blossom-bud is not always per¬ 
fectly contributing to the highest amount of flavour. 
Nature, it would seem, is more bent on the former than 
the latter. 
Let every one, therefore, take into consideration the 
character of the climate in which he is situate, to¬ 
gether with the aspect, and the kind, and proceed 
accordingly. It will, of course, be said, that all this 
requires an amount of practical knowledge which will 
I be looked for in vain in persons otherwise engaged. 
