65 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, May 5, 1857. 
two other much more usual causes of disappointment— 
bad seed and too deep sowing. 
We should not have devoted so much space to this 
subject, because no one who has any knowledge of 
practical gardening would be misled by such baseless 
theorising; but we insert it to warn amateurs less 
skilled, and because our correspondent asks, “ Is this 
the kind of doctrine which the revived Horticultural 
Society is prepared to teach ? ” Such doctrine is not 
fathered by the Society, and the head which compounded 
such doctrine would not have ventured to utter it within 
the Society’s lecture room. 
DISBUDDING TRAINED FRUIT TREES. 
Having received certain applications for advice on the 
subject of disbudding fruit trees, and it being an affair 
of a seasonable character, I proceed to give a few 
remarks; and, in order to understand the subject more 
fully, let us examine the reasons for this procedure, 
when it should be performed, its results, &e. 
The reasons for it are found in the fact that trained 
trees, especially on walls or fences, produce much more 
young spray in the spring than is consistent with the 
ultimate welfare of the trees, offering serious impedi¬ 
ments to the free admission of light, &o. Moreover, in 
healthy trees very generally certain gross shoots, termed 
“ robbers,” sprout forth from various parts of the trees, 
especially from any portions where a sudden bend 
through training occurs. As to the time for dis¬ 
budding, that is, of course, as soon as the sprouts 
termed “robbers” can be thoroughly distinguished, and 
the spray necessary to bo retained determined on. I 
generally commence about the second week in May, but 
much depends on the season as to earliness. 'The results 
of judicious disbudding are : 1. The admission of more 
light to the more fruitful portions of the tree; 2. A 
more perfect equalisation or distribution of tho sap; and 
3. A wholesome check on a too powerful root action, for 
wherever there is a luxuriant and profuse growth there 
will soon be a corresponding increase in tho volume and 
activity of the roots; and although it is well to encourage 
a somewhat liberal root action, yet a disproportionate 
amount is only productive of superfluous spray, highly 
inimical to fruiting conditions. It must, therefore, be 
understood by learners that there is sure to bo a 
reciprocity between root and branches sooner or later. 
A thorough appreciation of this fact constitutes the 
basis of many of our operations. 
'The Peach. — Before proceeding in detail let me 
observe that this operation should never be performed at 
once ; it is too severe as to the functions of the tree, and 
in some fruits paralyses their energies for Homo weeks. 
The Peach and Nectarine are easily damaged this way, 
being very susceptible of sudden innovations on their 
habits. As soon as the young fruit begins to swell on 
the Peach and Nectarine, if free-growing and healthy 
trees, these robbers begin to appear, and also a super¬ 
abundance of young shoots of a proper character, with 
regard to the latter a selection will have to bo made in 
due time. Tho robbers, however, must be stripped away 
betimes, unless ho situated as to bo necessary to bo 
retained for completing tho form find extension of the 
tree, in which ease they should simply bo pinched when 
about five inches in length. These robbers may be 
readily distinguished from the true or fruitful shoots by 
their excessive luxuriance, for they are well marked in 
this respect. In tho first disbudding of tho Pouch tho 
attention may be directed to the leading points all over 
tho tree. Here it will be found that the second and 
third buds are too close on the leader. These may be 
at once rubbed away. The eye must then bo directed to 
the rest of the shoots, and those found to be crowding 
superior spray either pinched or entirely removed—the 
former if any doubts exist. It is well for beginners to 
pinch or stop liberally, but to remove spray entirely with 
caution. An unpractised eye is apt to bo puzzled, and 
moreover, any that are pinched, if found at subsequent 
disbuddings to be superfluous, may then be entirely 
removed. 
At tho first disbudding about one-tbird of the 
! aggregate amount supposed to require removal may be 
| stripped or pinched; at a second disbudding another 
third may give way, and so on with the next. The 
j final operation may be made as late as the second week 
iri June or thereabouts, when it will become the pruner’s 
duty to remove totally all spray of a doubtful character, 
and many of those which had been pinched to stand 
over for awhile. L may here fairly state that there are 
those who have an impression that it would not be bad 
practice to pinch back all superfluous shoots instead of 
stripping them away. No less a personage than my 
friend Mr. Fleming, of Trentham, 1 think, once urged 
this on mo, and certainly whatever comes from such a 
quarter deserves tho highest consideration. Mr. F. 
assured rno that lie had obtained larger fruit from such 
than from leading shoots. I am of opinion that such 
practico might prove of service in tho warmer counties 
of England and in Peach houses, but for our colder 
counties l should much doubt the practico out of doors. 
The trees, under tho least neglect or omissions, would 
become liko a dubbed hedge, and tho result would 
scarcely fall in right with that fundamental principle of 
Poach culture, the ripening of tho wood. 
I find that 1. have omitted one thing in its place. I 
ought to have advised that all foreright and back shoots 
be rubbed from tho Peaches and Nectarines in the first 
operation. In former days almost all tho advico given 
about disbudding was this : “ Disbud all foreright 
shoots.” This was a stereotyped affair, and long passed 
as the chief advico concerning disbudding. In later 
days, however, it lias been discovorod that a clover cul¬ 
tivator of tho Peach docs not desire one shoot more left 
on his trees than is requisite until tho winter pruning. 
It. Errinoton. 
(To be continued.) 
WINDOW GARDENING FOR SPRING. 
(Coiiliiined from poye 46.) 
There is an old proverb that if a thing is worth doing at 
all it is wortli doing well, especially when the doing it well 
is just as easily done as doing it badly. Whatever the size 
of the pots we fix upon (four and six-inch pots tire tho host 
for window gardeners), and seeing that they are clean, the 
first thing to be done is to fill the pots for at least one-third 
will) drainage, deducting half an inch, or from that to one 
inch, from the rim of the pot, above which tho soil is not to 
rise. Wo divide tho space botween that and the drainage 
into three equal parts, or as near as may be readily guessed 
at. The first part, next the drainage, we fill with lumpy, libry 
soil, from which tile lino, dusty matter has been excluded; 
tho middle part is filled with material liner but coarse, and 
containing more sand ; and the upper part is tho finest and 
lightest of all. 11 is just as easy to fill a dozen or a hundred 
pots in this way, and thus secure drainage and a proper 
moist condition in the soil, us to put a single oyster- 
shell in the bottom, and then slufi' tho pot with whatever 
soil comes handiest, as I saw done not long ago. 'Tho 
pots being thus filled, they are either well watered or set in 
u tub of clean water just up to their rims for ten minutes. 
Tho object is to Intvo every part of soil thoroughly moistened. 
The pots are then allowed to drain for twenty-four or forty- 
eight hours in a dry, shady place, by which time the surface 
