33 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Arum 10, 1830. 
Picotees, and a full collection of Conifers and oilier liardy 
ornamental trees and shrubs, climbers, twiners, and 
trailers, and American plants too much to compress into 
one communication; but I made selections from them all, 
and learned the whole art and mystery of getting up 
Geraniums, Roses, stove and greenhouse plants for exhi¬ 
bition, which will last a whole season, or till I call for 
more to the same purpose. It is really astonishing to find 
how much eau be learned in good nurseries ; and the best 
of gardeners have yet to learn much from them. 
D. Beaton. 
THE PINCHING AND STOPPING OF FRUIT 
TREES—WHY, HOW, AND WHEN TO BE 
PERFORMED. 
This doctrine, as applied to our fruit trees, is some¬ 
what of a novel character if compared with the usual 
operations. In order to understand thoroughly the 
principle on which the practice is founded, it is in¬ 
dispensably necessary to have a just conception of those 
laws of Nature which regulate the absorption, circulation, 
and assimilation, of the sap of trees; as well as the re¬ 
ciprocation of root and branch action in this circulation. 
Without this, all must be mere rule; and, however cor¬ 
rect a mere rule may be in itself, the possessor may be 
said to go about with one hand tied behind his back as 
compared with that freedom of mind which is the sure 
result of some science combined w ith extensive practice. 
In the spring, when disbudding takes place, pinching 
off the points of over-luxuriant shoots is generally resorted 
to, in order that, by checking undue luxuriance in such 
portions, an increased impetus may be given to those 
shoots, or branches, which are below the proper standard 
of strength. 
Such a principle of equalisation may be pursued at 
intervals through the summer. The practice is resorted 
to by some, in the early part of August, with those tender 
fruits which require every aid in our climate to enable 
them to ripen their wood. It may here be observed, also, 
that this procedure, if of any extent, has the power of 
moderating the root action, which is sure to be too im¬ 
pulsive when gross shoots prevail; for our readers may 
rest assured that there is a constant sympathy going on 
between root and branch. 
If stopping is practised to equalise growth, it, of 
course, commences with the coarser shoots towards the 
extremities; but if the tree has an over-powerful root 
action, a seeondai - y class of shoots, lower down the 
tree, will begin to acquire undue importance, and will 
in their course require a little attention. But to pinch, 
or stop, merely to control over-strong root action, is 
not the best practice; such purpose ought to be carried 
out by root pruning—which some are pleased to call 
a barbarous practice. But those who talk thus do not 
perfectly understand their subject, or they would not 
prejudge w hat they cannot appreciate: a more whole¬ 
some practice, when sensibly conducted, there is not 
in all the artifices of gardening. If root pruning is an 
error, so is the universal liberty we take of transplanting 
—a practice exercised in most cultural matters from a 
Cabbage to an Oak. We might as w r cll say the same of 
all processes involving high culture; for instance, say 
that it is barbarous to bring the wild Celery from the 
ditch side, and make it a garden vegetable. We ought 
to have brought ditch and all, and then the culture would 
be natural, and point to a high degree of civilisation. 
Stopping, or pinching, to ripen the wood is a practice 
that deserves much extension : its utility has never been 
fully appreciated. There seems to have been, generally, 
a prevailing idea, that this same slopping—almost whole¬ 
sale—is taking great liberties with dame Nature. And 
are not many of our processes great liberties taken ? Are 
not grafting, budding, pruning, and fifty other operations ? 
Although this pinching to promote ripening may be 
improperly practised, I can assure our readers that it is 
one of the most useful arts exercised by the gardener. 
This I have proved to my mind’s content during the last 
score years. Of what use is it to suffer tender fruits 
to continue producing wood until October ? If any 
person thinks that plenty of growing shoots at the ex¬ 
tremity of trees cause the fruit to be larger, it is a gross 
mistake. If stopping during the period of growth 
were more generally practised, there w ould bo far less 
labour over pruning in w inter. 
But another point for consideration : stopping duly 
carried out prevents the trees acquiring so much timber. 
Our readers may smile at the idea of timber ; but I have 
seen w all trees, as well as others, with timber enough in 
the bole and branches to make a lot of chairs, at the 
same time the lowest amount of really bearing and profit¬ 
able wood. 1 have Peach and Nectarine trees here ; some 
twenty-five years old, and which extend from twenty to 
thirty feet in length, and are clothed from the bole to the 
extremities, and yet the bole and the larger branches might 
be chopped up and carried under the arm. This fact I 
have known to astonish many gardeners—it has been the 
subject of many a conversation—and why thus I Merely 
because these trees have been pinched regularly from the 
first year of their growth. 
But to return to disbudding, which somehow' presents 
itself in connection w itli stopping. Here is another agent 
in assisting to regulate the llow r of sap. Disbudding must 
be performed w ith a constant reference to the habits of 
growth and fruiting of the respective kinds. Thus, it w ill 
not do to disbud a Peach and a Pear, or Cherry, on the 
same principle. I have named this in order to pave the 
way to some remarks on Peach stopping or pinching. 
Last year I adverted to the old doctrine of disbudding 
Peaches, and remarked that the process need not be of 
such a wholesale character as old custom would have it. 
I had long au idea, that, since Peaches would bear on 
spurs (and generally the finest fruit too), it would be 
expedient—especially in northern parts, w here the wood 
docs not ripen so w ell as could be desired—to pinch back 
many of those shoots which used to be rubbed away. 
Of this I am now well assured, provided justice is done 
to the pinching process. I have tried this practice for 
two years, cautiously at first; but, on perceiving good 
results, I pushed the principle further last year: indeed, 
in a Peach-house I have left little else to produce fruit 
than spurs—terminal points of course excepted. The 
crop last year was splendid ; and this year promises to be 
even finer still. 
As for “setting,” I have a notion that it is, by far, 
more certain on spurs than on young wood; for this 
season the trees were like a well-daisiecl field, and I 
believe that scarcely one blossom in a hundred missed. 
Indeed, I could never perceive any fallen. The con¬ 
sequence has been that the greater portion has been pulled 
off; but this is much easier than to put them on. Besides, 
in Peach culture, what competition ensues between the 
long shoots of young wood, when the tree is finally pruned 
and nailed. To train in and reserve two or more young 
shoots of the former year, side by side, and within two or 
three inches of each other, is sure to give rise to much 
confusion if the long-shoot system be pursued. This the 
pinching or spurring system avoids. 
It should be remembered that this pinching requires a 
little modification according to circumstances. There are 
what may be called general pinching and special. The 
latter is a process chiefly confined to the earlier grow ths, 
and destined to check what are called robbers—over-ram¬ 
pant shoots; it must, therefore, follow those growths in 
whatever part of the tree they appear. The August or 
September stopping, which serves a double purpose—that 
of ripening the wood,and equalising the strength of the tree 
—must bo practised with a slight difference. My practice 
is, to do it at twice or thrice; and the first stopping is prac- 
