114 
THE FLORIST AND P0M0L0GIST. 
quite so abundant as in previous seasons. Eleanor is not a free bearer here, 
though I get some very fine fruit. From what I hear, I fear the crop of 
Strawberries will be a light one ; but if the Strawberry crop be light, with an 
abundance of most other kinds of fruit the deficiency will not so much matter. 
Stourton. M. Saul. 
REMARKS ON FRUIT TREE CULTURE.—No. 10. 
The necessary winter pruning may be performed at any time during the 
dormant season, or, in fact, as soon as the leaves are all off, and will simply 
consist in shortening the shoots, more or less, according to their strength, taking 
18 inches as a maximum length for strong ones, and the weaker in proportion. 
It is good practice then to take out all the old shreds and nails, and while the 
trees are loose to inject forcibly some strong clear lime water all over the walls 
at the back of the trees, for the purpose of expelling noxious insects from the 
crevices and nail-holes. The trees will be better left loose until early in 
March, when they should be dressed with composition and again trained to the 
walls with new nails and shreds. 
This practice of leaving the trees loose all the winter is intended for the 
purpose of keeping down any undue excitement which may be caused by the 
prevalence of bright sunny days, which frequently occur during that season. 
The Peach is constitutionally liable to become very early excited into growth, 
and I have seen great injury result from the occurrence of severe frost in 
spring after a mild winter, through buds being killed and fractures occurring 
in the bark f the young wood, caused, probably, by the contraction and 
expansion consequent upon the ascending sap being frozen. If, therefore, the 
trees are left loose from the walls, they are to a certain degree removed from 
the influence of the radiation of heat from the walls, and thus the period of 
excitement is considerably retarded, greatly to the prospective advantage of 
the trees. 
My observations have hitherto been confined principally to the treatment 
necessary to be followed out in the case of young trees ; but as they advance 
in age and growth a number of other influences begin to work upon them, and 
the treatment will have to be modified in accordance therewith. But I think 
it will be best that I should follow out the old adage of “ line upon line, pre¬ 
cept upon precept,” and proceed to the details of practice at the commencement 
of the second year’s growth from the permanent planting. 
If the trees, previous to that final planting, were passed through a good 
preparation elsewhere, so as to lay the foundation, as it were, of good well- 
balanced trees, we may, in such a case, reasonably conclude that in the second 
year we may look for a fair proportion of fruit, according to the strength of the 
tree. Very strong and vigorous young trees may be permitted to carry more 
fruit than those which are w r eaker or even of only an average fruit-bearing 
strength, and for this reason—because the production of fruit is calculated to 
exhaust the energies of the trees very much, whilst the production of wood 
and foliage is calculated, where there is feeding material below and room 
enough above, to increase the strength and vigour of the trees in an almost 
indefinite degree. It is the perfect comprehension of these two opposing 
influences which enables the practitioner to work them against each other, to 
the mutual benefit of both trees and manager. I repeat, then, that very 
vigorous and luxuriant young trees may be permitted to carry a much greater 
weight of fruit proportionally than others which apparently need encouragement 
to keep up a tolerable growth. 
It is not always, however, that, with the greatest care, strong vigorous trees 
t 
