January 6/1900. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
291 
WEBBS 
GRAND NEW 
CUCUMBERS. 
WEBBS' COMMANDER. 
As an exhibition variety this valuable new 
Cucumber is unsurpassed, 24 in. to 30 in. being 
the usual length to which it may be grown. Its 
quality, too, is quite equal to its handsome 
appearance. 2/6 per packet, post free. 
WEBBS’ UNIVERSAL. 
As an all-round Cucumber, whether for summer 
or winter cultivation, market-gardening, or 
private use, this grand new variety is pre-eminent. 
It is a most persistent cropper, bears a con¬ 
tinuous supply of handsome, dark green, 
medium-sized fruits of the finest quality. 
2/6 per packet, post free. 
See Webbs' Spring Catalogue, post free, Is. 
WEBBS’, Wordsley, Stourbridge. 
NEW CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
YELLOW MUTUAL FRIEND.— Having 
secured the whole of two English sports (both primrose) of 
this fine variety—probably the largest—stock in the trade, can 
guarantee good plants for early delivery. 
WEEK’S NEW VARIETIES. —As usual, I 
control the whole of these fine novelties—they are finer 
than ever this year—but owing to the great demand orders 
should be given early to secure plants from the earliest 
batches. 
New List and General Catalogue now ready, Post Free 
NORMAN DAVIS, 
Chrysanthemum Nurseries, 
FRAMFIELD, SUSSEX. 
Vegetable & Flower 
SEEDS 
SEED POTATOS, 
Garden Tools 
AND a A 
Sundries, 
OF 
Best 
Qualities 
at most 
Moderate Prices 
Delivered Free 
by Rail or Parcel Post. 
Illustrated 
Descriptive Catalogue, No. 50S, 
Post Free on application. 
CHESTER. 
NOW READY. 
WEBBS’ 
SPRING 
CATALOGUE 
Contains Complete Cultural Instructions, LisT 
of Novelties, &c., and is beautifully Illustrated 
vith reproductions from Photographs and 
Engravings. 
plan advocated. The reader, or for the 
matter of that the operator, is advised to 
limit the excessive production of fruit on 
individual trees in any one year, so as to 
encourage a more even and regular produc¬ 
tion of the article in question every year. 
The thinning of the supernumerary spurs 
and the removal of weak and useless wood 
so as to permit sun and air to play equally 
on all parts and mature both wood and fruit, 
are dealt upon in such a way that the 
reasonableness of the argument is at once 
apparent. The author states that early 
Apples bear more regularly than late ones, 
and advances the argument that lost power 
is recovered before the approach of winter 
owing to the greater lapse of time between 
the ingathering of the crops and the fall of 
the leaf. The labour expenses entailed by 
the operation of pruning is counterbalanced 
by the higher prices obtained from the finer 
samples of fruit resulting from a judicious 
use of the knife. When a tree—a standard 
Post Free Is., which may be deducted off 
subsequent orders. 
GRATIS TO CUSTOMERS. 
WORDSLEY, STOURBRIDGE. 
‘ Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. 
Edited by J. FRASER. F.L.S. 
SATURDAY , JANUARY 6th, 1900. 
JfRUiT Farming for Profit.*— The third 
edition of this book was published in 
1890, so that practically a decade has 
elapsed since that time. The author speaks 
hopefully of the cause, stating that since 
1890 substantial progress in fruit culture 
has been made throughout the three king¬ 
doms. Great advances have been made in 
combating insect pests and blight, while 
many fruits that were then new have become 
general favourites. We take it that this 
indicates an improvement upon older kinds, 
and in that case, substantial progress must 
be recorded. So decided is this that it has 
become necessary to revise the lists of the 
best sorts of Apples, Pears, Plums and 
Strawberries. The whole book has been 
revised and brought up-to-date by numerous 
insertions of fresh matter, increasing the 
text from 137 pages in the third edition to 
I 73 pages in the fourth, including some new 
illustrations relating to different systems of 
planting fruit orchards, &c., in addition to 
those of the older edition. Arguments in 
favour of planting fruit trees are less need¬ 
ful than they were a decade ago, thus leav¬ 
ing the author more space to deal with the 
practical aspect of the question. 
The question of pruning is now season¬ 
able, and dealt with at considerable length 
here, the practical matters being interlined 
with an anecdote occasionally in order to 
emphasise the instructions given on the 
* Fruit Farming for Profit (Revised to a d. 1900) 
A Practical Treatise, Embracing Chapters on all the 
Most Profitable Fruits with Detailed Instructions 
for Successful Culture on the Kent System. By 
Ceorge Bunyard, V.M.H., F.R H.S., M S.A. &c. 
Fourth Edit on Ma dstone : W.S. Vivi h, Printer, 
28, King Street, 1899. 2s 6d.; or free by post 
2s. 9d. 
or bush, for instance—has been properly 
thinned the fruits are of better colour, and 
when the latter have been reduced in 
numbers the natural energies of the trees 
insure the remainder being of larger size 
and of better quality. When Cob Nut 
trees are allowed to grow naturally, that is 
untended and unpruned, the fruits are 
scarcely larger than the imported Barcelona 
nuts of the shop?. These remarks refer to 
the pruning or rather the thinning of 
established trees with good sized heads, but 
the author gives full details concerning the 
building up or laying the foundation for 
good heads on young trees as they progress 
from year to year. It is decidedly necessary 
to prune hard in the early stages, particu¬ 
larly in the case of those varieties which are 
prone to expend their energies in the pro¬ 
duction of spurs and fruit during their early 
years to the great loss of the tree in after 
years. The reader will be reminded of this 
fact by the mere mention of such varieties 
as Lord Suffield, Manx Codlin, and Stone’s. 
Many trees belonging to other genera have 
the same tendency. Hard pruning is most 
necessary during the first two years of 
growth, but after that the shoots made 
should only be shortened one-third of their 
length, because the remaining two-thirds 
will be more inclined to form fruit spurs 
than if three-fourths of their length had been 
cut away. In relation to our remarks in 
last week’s issue on the “ Use and misuse 
of the pruning knife,” it may be remembered 
that we stated that different varieties of 
Apple trees required different treatment in 
the matter of pruning on account of their 
respective peculiarities, and we find our 
remarks fully corroborated here, for the 
author states “ that no two varieties of fruit 
have quite similar habits, and the grower 
must exercise discretion to a great extent 
in their management.” 
In speaking of soft fruits a reference is 
made to late planting in dealing with the 
subject of pruning them hard back the first 
year. February or March are mentioned 
as late for planting,but we have known prac¬ 
titioners of the old school planting Apple 
trees in the month of April in the north of 
Scotland ; and we have no doubt they were 
fully convinced they were doing the proper 
thing. Then again it must be remembered 
that the summer is much shorter there and 
wintry weather sets in much earlier. Well, 
the longer summer day may practically 
compensate for the shorter season. In any 
case no restrictions were placed upon hard 
pruning ; and we have waded in deep snow 
to prune the wall trees when scarcely any 
other outside work could be attempted, or 
on the top of hard snow after it had sub¬ 
sided and solidified. Apples bore heavily 
and matured properly as well as certain 
varieties of Pears. Only the earliest Plums 
