THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, April 19, 1869. 
33 
tised chiefly at the upper portions of the trees, where the 
strongest wood generally will he found. Thus, in healthy 
trees about one-half is pinched as a first attack. This 
lias the effect of throwing a little extra power into a 
secondary class of shoots, which are left growing for 
another fortnight or so, when the next strongest class of 
spray is pinched; and if this is final, care is taken not to 
pinch a single shoot in any part which is short of power. 
This mode of procedure is of more avail in equalising, 
as much as possible, the strength of the trees than all 
winter pruning of whatever kind : this 1 say without any 
desire to undervalue winter pruning where necessity calls 
for it. Wherever there is much for the knife to perform, 
in the dormant season, in tender-trained fruit trees— 
there, I will affirm, has been a neglect of summer pruning ; 
which seems to be, by universal consent, termed “ pinch¬ 
ing.” As to the ripening of the wood, it is of high im¬ 
portance; and again let me add that it will, in all cases, 
promote both size and quality in the fruit when judiciously 
performed. It. Erkington. 
CULTURE OE NERIUM OLEANDER. 
“ Will you kindly inform me how I am to treat a fine, large 
Oleander, to induce it to bloom ? I cannot put it in a green¬ 
house. Does it require much heat ? I can put it in a south 
window, five miles north of Salisbury. I repotted it in February, 
iu a compost of one part good fresh turf, cut in small pieces; 
one part sandy soil; and one part decayed eowdung, with good 
drainage ; but the buds which formed last year are no larger than 
they were in November last. Does it require much water?”— 
A Constant Reader. 
The treatment of this plant has frequently Leen given ; 
hut, at your request, we will venture to give an epitome 
of management, as there is a point or two in your letter 
worth alluding to just now'. If your window is large 
enough, the Oleander will grow, and, perhaps, bloom there 
until June; after that time it may stand iu a sheltered 
place, out of doors, until the middle of October. With 
window and common house-management we should hardly 
expect the plant to bloom until May, as it requires a good 
amount of heat to open the buds nicely. 
The first thing we notice, is about the “buds formed 
last year, and which are no larger than they wore in 
November last.” Are these flower-buds P Because, 
the flower-buds of window plants are not often formed 
them Could we have dropped iu upon you, we should 
have liked to make sure of this fact. We allude to 
this, because we have seen this plant nipped and 
stopped regularly to produce stubby growth ; but, under 
such treatment, there might be plenty of wishing aud 
whistling for flowers ; but would any come P A lady, not 
long ago, look off the poiuts of five fine, well-ripened 
shoots, they looked so long and lanky. Then, quite ar¬ 
tistically, a string was fastened round the rim of the pot, 
and each shoot bent down and fastened to it, in semi¬ 
circular stylo ; and as the young shoots broke freely from 
almost every joint, great were the anticipations of a mag¬ 
nificent mass of bloom. Need I say, that as the plant 
blooms only this year, at the points of shoots well grown 
and well ripened last year, the removing the points of the 
shoots removed all chance of bloom—that, under the best 
treatment, the young shoots now growing could only he 
made to bloom in 1860 —and if not well thinned and well 
grown, flowers would hardly come until 1861 P To secure 
flowers on a plant every year, therefore, there must be 
two races of shoots on each plant,—strong, well-ripened 
ones, to bloom this year, and weaker ones to succeed, i 
As soon as the flowering-shoots are cut hack when done 
flowering, strength is thrown into the others left, and 
auother crop of younger shoots breaks from the flowering- | 
shoots cut back : but no flower-truss or umbel can ever 
come, unless from the point of a well-matured shoot. 
The flower-stalk just looks, at first, like a prolongation of 
the shoot. Supposing, then—what we are not quite sure 
of—that your flower-stems are formed, and the flower- 
buds clustered ou them, there is just a little fact hero 
worth some attention for every grower of this beautiful 
plant. 
Shortly after the flower-stem appears, three or four 
fresh young shoots will also be protruded, close to, and 
round, its base. These frequently grow very fast, and are 
apt to rob the flower-stem. So that instead of a large 
massive umbel-armful of flowers, you get only a few, or 
even none, from the small buds dropping off before they 
expand. To prevent this, nip out these young shoots at 
the base of the flower-stem as soon as you can get 
hold of them, and do not let the plant want water at 
this period. 
The second thing we would notice is, your repotting 
such a plant in February, as many of our readers 
entertain erroneous ideas iqion this subject, and are so 
anxious, that they imagine they can never pot their 
plants too often, or at a wrong time. Now, we believe 
that many a disappointment would be avoided, if, as 
regards the pot-culture of plants, two axioms were con¬ 
stantly kept in view. First. Never, unless in particular 
circumstances, repot a plant after its flower-buds are 
formed, or you have reason to believe that they are 
forming. Secondly. Always manage so that the roots are 
clinging to the sides of the pot before the flower-stems 
appear. Of course, as alluded to above, there will be 
exceptions ; hut these will he safe rules for general prac¬ 
tice. Just reverse these rules, and the check of repotting 
may injure or endanger the flower-hud; or, on the other 
hand, throw strength into leaves instead of flower-stems 
and buds. If the flower-buds of your Oleander were 
showing, the repotting in February, unless managed with 
care, might have caused many buds to drop. A little 
surface soil might have been removed, and a top dressing 
of rich compost given. Considering the nature of the 
plant, and its mode of flowering, the last repotting should 
have been given early in August, or some time early iu 
autumn. Your compost is right enough. 
Your other questions, as to heat and water, will at 
once be answered by the following outline of management, 
as additional to what is stated above. The plant must 
have heat and moisture; and yet it will thrive best when 
dryish and cool at times. In flourishes best in eastern 
countries, when, by the side of streams and rivers, its 
roots are overflowed with water at one period of the 
year, and the soil about them baked, heated, and cracked 
by the powerful rays of the sun at another. Naturally, 
therefore, the plant has a growing and flowering, and a 
ripening and resting time; and so far as wc can imitate 
these changes in our climate, the more successful we 
shall be. 
For instance : whether your plant is showing bloom or 
not, it must be encouraged to grow now by plenty of 
water and all the sunlight possible. Being almost half an 
aquatic, if there is a little water at times in the bottom of 
the saucer it will do uo harm. Continue this treatment 
as long as the plant is in the house. If set out of doors 
in June or July, choose a shady day for the purpose ; and 
as soon as the plant will stand the sun uninjured, let it bo 
fully exposed, and give all the water it wants. By Sep¬ 
tember move the plant to the hottest and sunniest spot 
you can get—say in front of a south wall or fence. Now 
gradually begin to curtail water; and from this period 
give no more than will just keep the leathery leaves from 
flagging. Rains fall at this season often pretty freely; 
but by means of boards or slates, Ac., you must contrive 
to throw the water past the pots and roots. The object 
is to ripen the stems by giving them all the sunlight 
possible, and having the roots as dry as w'ill just prevent 
the plants suffering. The greater the amount of direct 
light and heat from the sun the plants have, and the 
smaller the quantity of water at the roots at this period, 
the more chance for the stopping the lengthening of the 
