THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Octobee 11, 1859. 
19 
not, Surprise or Champion of England will do better. Pea- 
stakes are, however, serviceable more ways than one, as, 
by keeping the haulm from the ground, the Broccoli 
intended for the future crop can be planted between. 
The rows of Peas being six feet apart, give room for 
three rows of Broccoli between; and care being taken in 
gathering the Peas, and the haulm being removed as 
soon as they have done bearing, the plants will strengthen 
and grow on apace. To enable the ground to endure two 
such exacting crops as Peas and Broccoli, let the ground 
be well enriched with manure, and cultivated pretty deep. 
Sow a small bed of Broccoli in the miscellaneous ground 
the first week in May, of the 7 Valeheren, Snow’s Winter, 
and Portsmouth kinds, and a few of Early Cape on the 1st 
of June ; then plant out, two feet apart each way, as they 
become large enough, earth up when they are ready, and, 
if the winter be mild, you will he well supplied. 
POTATOES, CELEET, AND SPINACH. 
Plant a few Asli-leaved Kidney and Early Shaiv 
Potatoes in February, if the ground will allow of it. 
The remainder plant with Walnut-leaved Kidney and 
Goldfinder in March, rows two feet for Kidneys, and two 
feet six inches for the other kinds. Earth-up when ready. 
And as soon as sufficient ground is cleared of these for 
one row of Celery, let a trench be made about fifteen 
inches wide and eight or ten deep, putting in some good, 
well-rotted dung to the bottom, and plant one row of 
Celery about eight inches apart in the row. Let the 
trenches be from four to five feet apart from centre to 
centre; and being dug as soon as the Potatoes are 
cleared away, they will be ready to plant when moist 
weather occurs. A row of Lettuce might be planted on 
the top of the ridge. For the main crop of Celery sow 
Cole'^ Crystal White and Manchester Red in a pan or 
box the first week in March. Place it in some warm 
corner till the plants are up ; then put them out of doors. 
Prick them out on some well-prepared bed as soon as 
they can be handled, and about four or five inches apart 
each way. They will stand there till the trenches are 
ready, when they will take up with good balls of earth to 
each, and plant in the trenches as directed. The earliest 
plantation may be as soon in July as the ground can be 
made ready; the latest not later than the middle of August: 
earlier than July would he better for the first, but Pota¬ 
toes will hardly be off sooner. A small bed of Prickly 
Spinach may be sown about the 12th of August, to stand 
the winter if it be wanted. Early or Summer Spinach 
may be sown on any vacant spot; but do not interfere 
with the more important crops for it unless it be specially 
called for. J. Bobson. 
(To he continued.) 
BOOT-PRUNING. 
I almost fancy before I proceed that I hear some one 
say, “What a hackneyed theme!” And how many 
themes are there in gardening which come not under the 
imputation “ hackneyed ?” As for finding out some new 
thing or new theme constantly, I much fear the attempt 
to show forth such would prove a most vapid affair. 
Talk about new tilings, the mighty zest that is in general 
possessed by our newspapers points in a plain way to the 
public appetite in this respect. Only behold what a stale 
thing a paper a week old becomes ; it is discovered then 
that there was little fresh in it—in the main old joints 
hashed np and flavoured a little. But if we cannot in the 
world of gardening constantly produce new things, we 
can at least renew acquaintance with once-recognised 
principles, and so investigate them as to freshen them 
before the mind’s eye. 
Gardening differs much from some of the sciences. 
Many great principles in it are constantly in danger of 
being so modified by circumstances as to lose their 
essence ; and it is in order to sustain their aroma—shall 
I call it?—that those who are steadfast in the pursuit 
are in a position to guide the erratic traveller. Boot- 
pruning is now recognised by everybody, and has in 
the most legitimate way superseded ringing, and such 
little partial operations, which, as hobbies, are all very 
well, and have little to do with the main question—how 
to manage the whole tree. It is now some twenty-nine 
or thirty years since I first drew public attention to this 
as a principle deserving general recognition. I well re¬ 
member at that time having operated on a wall of gross 
Peach and Nectarine trees, and writing a long chapter 
thereon in “ Loudon’s Magazine.” And who is it that 
can claim priority to this ? But I soon got scolded for 
my pains. Some mocked the idea; some said my head 
was turned; and others wrote papers of warning to those 
who were in danger of being misled by this new-fangled 
doctrine. Since that day converts have been coming in 
from all sides, and men high in position have fallen 
thoroughly in with the principle. This it was in the 
main, when years had convinced a few knowing ones of 
its importance, which led to the idea of a systematic 
dwarfing system in fruits, not by stocks, but by biennial 
root-pruning called transplanting. 
But let us inquire as to what it can do to benefit fruit- 
trees. Here I would ask all those who have been or- 
chardists whether they have not frequently had incorri¬ 
gible trees—such as for ever seemed luxuriant and 
healthy, yet seldom bore fruit. Many a person has been 
sorely puzzled with such trees in former days, not knoxv- 
ing what to do with them. I well remember an old 
gardener, when I was a lad, recommending a neighbour 
to give such trees a thorough manuring, on the plea that 
“ it would put new life in ’em.” What he meant by new 
life I was too young to understand ; but when I got older 
and laid aside my popguns I began to consider the case 
more closely. The fact is, that many trees of such habit 
would probably make valuable trees and attain a good old 
age, provided the proprietor could afford to wait for them ; 
but although we all wish our heirs every enjoyment, we 
also desire to eat an Apple, a Pear, &c., ourselves occa¬ 
sionally. It is, thei’efore, evident that to hasten the 
fructification of such trees we must have recourse to some 
expedient, and that will be found in “ cutting off the 
supplies.” 
It is perfectly evident that fruit trees may have so 
much root action as to be incompatible with early fruit¬ 
fulness : surely this needs no proof. By cutting away a 
portion of the roots, then, we in proportion reduce the 
tree’s power to produce spray; and we all know that an 
extreme tendency to make spray is incompatible with the 
organisation of the blossom-bud, which is so widely 
different that, in comparison, it might be termed a sta¬ 
tionary affair. Let any one observe a strong young tree 
of considerable size which has been transplanted in the 
spring; perhaps drought has overtaken it. This luxu¬ 
riant fellow, hitherto noted for succulent breast-shoots, 
all of a sudden becomes apparently stagnated; and in 
place of the spray we find multitudes of small embryo 
buds studding the stem. Now if this tree—say a Pear— 
is situated in most generous soil, and takes to it by or 
before midsummer, we shall find many of these little 
stumpy buds showing signs of rapid organisation into 
blossom-buds. To burst into gross breast-shoots they 
cannot; they are short of that power, which has been 
taken from them in the act of removal. 
But it becomes a question which is the best time to 
root-prune. My opinion is that the end of September or 
beginning of October is the best, and I will give my 
reasons. I have found by experience that the sooner 
after so severe an operation the tree heals the wounded 
portions, by the production of tufts of fibres at the ex¬ 
tremity of the roots, the better. Such is accomplished 
if cut at this period in a few weeks ; or, if not, a callus 
is produced, which is quite ready to start with the early 
spring. I speak now of general principles ; but the fact 
