150 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ October, 
posed for many months, it is not desirable 
that the borders should be cropped nearer than 
three feet from the collar. 
I must now return to the system of training, 
with the view of observing that, by following 
out the horizontal method, and by confining 
the culture on walls to the most approved 
varieties for dessert purposes, a very choice 
collection may be grown on a comparatively 
small space. We have trees at this place 
which have now been in bearing 50 years, and 
they occupy no more space now than they have 
done for the last 40 years at least, nor is there 
any difficulty found in keeping them either 
within bounds, or well supplied with wood, as 
when properly fed at the surface by stimu¬ 
lating substances, they invariably throw out a 
strong growth all up the centre stem, so that 
when the horizontal branches become exhausted 
or barren, there will be no difficulty in supply¬ 
ing the vacancy with a younger growth. 
The process of training such trees is very 
simple, but must be carried on gradually, as 
any attempt to lay in too much wood in one 
season in order to cover space, will only result 
in the production of barren, unfurnished 
branches. The centre and main shoots must 
therefore be rigorously shortened every season, 
in order to induce every eye which is left to 
break into growth, which would not be the 
case if they were left too long. The object is 
to secure a plentiful supply of fruitful spurs 
from the first. Thus, supposing a maiden tree 
to be planted in October, having one long, 
strong shoot, let it be cut back by the end of 
March, so that there may be room for the de¬ 
velopment of two shoots on each side and a 
continuation of the centre shoot. The train¬ 
ing-out of the side-shoots should be com¬ 
menced early—say, when they are six inches 
long—and if they are stiff and stout, they must 
be brought to the horizontal position gradually, 
a little at a time, to avoid breakage. The 
centre shoot will of course be trained upright, 
in order to form the future main stem. When 
the whole of the shoots are well established, 
the remaining ones should all be removed with 
a sharp knife, to avoid laceration of the future 
centre stem. 
With regard to distances, it may be laid 
down as a guide that the two lower shoots 
should not be less than one foot from the 
ground, and the distance between the main 
radiating side-branches may be from six inches 
as a minimum to eight inches as a maximum 
distance. The first season, the shoots retained 
should be allowed free development, in order 
to encourage the formation of roots. The prin¬ 
cipal care required will be to keep them securely 
fastened to the wall, and clear from vermin of 
all sorts. The pruning in the next year will 
be the foundation of all the future pruning re¬ 
quisite. The side-shoots must be shortened 
to one foot for the lower tier, and nine inches 
for the upper tiers, and the centre shoot to one 
foot, or thereabouts, so as to afford room for 
the training-out of two more side-shoots, as 
well as carrying on the centre as before. If 
the eyes on the side-shoots of the first year 
break freely, they will require to be thinned 
out by removing at first all foreright shoots, 
and afterwards any ill-placed ones ; the remain¬ 
der should be left to grow on until they have 
from four to six perfectly developed leaves, 
when they should at once be stopped. These 
leaves should be carefully preserved, and any 
future attempt at growth be finally stopped. 
The centre shoot will have to be treated in 
exactly the same way as in the previous year, 
retaining only the centre and four side-shoots, 
as before advised. 
We may thus conclude that the foundation 
of the future tree is now laid, and by following 
out the same process year after year, a perfectly 
furnished tree will in time be established, 
which may be confined to the same space for 
many years, and yet kept in health and fruit¬ 
bearing strength by a judicious course.of treat¬ 
ment, the salient points of which are to 
equalise the growth by a constant attention to 
finger and thumb pruning, to strenuously avoid 
over-croping, which is the sure forerunner of 
constitutional debility, and to apply surface- 
dressings of compost and manurial matters at 
intervals, when the trees indicate weakness of 
growth. 
I have observed that the cultivation of 
Plums on walls should be principally confined 
to dessert varieties, but this must be taken 
with a slight reservation, since in most esta¬ 
blishments Plums for kitchen purposes are 
greatly in request long before they can be 
ready on pyramids or standards. It will be 
well, therefore, that a portion of the walls 
