954 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
November 14, 1903. 
Readers' Competition—continued. 
and position of the young shoots can be ascertained, and the 
direction they are to take, continuing at intervals as the growth 
proceeds. Instances may occur with trees that bear on spurs, 
and which may be found too thickly furnished with them, caused 
from constant, pruning, leaving those best situated. New growth 
is 'almost sure to spring from the bases, of those cut out, and in 
due course produce fruit buds, when the remaining old spurs 
should be treated likewise. 
The winter pruning is final previous to reaping the fruit of 
one’s labour. It consists, in the first instance, in the removal of 
all dead and decaying wood. The operator will readily see why 
each shoot has been retained during the summer, and notice those 
intended for removal during the winter. Fruit trees grown on 
the bush, pyramid, and standard system generally become 
crowded in the centre. This must in all oases be avoided by the 
removal of the inside growth, also thin and sickly growth, to allow 
sunshine and air to circulate through the trees, this being essen¬ 
tial to .obtain well ripened wood. By taking out thin and sickly 
growth, stronger ones will be allowed to break the following 
season. Trees intended for extension should have about one 
foot left on the leading branches at winter pruning. Side growth 
should be treated the same where sufficient room is at command, 
others should be cut back to form spurs. 
Peaches and Nectarines are not, as a rule, grown on the spur 
system, these being generally grown on the young wood or ex¬ 
tension system ; that is, wood made during the previous year. 
Disbudding is part pruning of these, and carried on at inter¬ 
vals, when the growth has attained 2 in. or 3 in. m 
length, also removing all barren and superfluous wood as soon as 
the gathering of the fruit is completed; this constitutes the sum¬ 
mer pruning. Winter pruning! will consist of proper manage¬ 
ment and rearrangement of the trees, thinning the wood to the 
required distances, taking great care to keep the trees well 
furnished at the base, and growth well home. Always prune to 
a growth bud, which an experienced and trained eye can easily 
detect. 
Vines are managed at two separate seasons—namely, disbud¬ 
ding and stopping in the summer, and pruning in the winter. 
Disbudding is performed each year on the commencement of the 
growing season, and will require early attention in thinning out 
and regulating the young and tender growth, which is a matter of 
great importance. Disbudding is begun as soon as one can see 
there are more shoots than required, and is best done when they 
are about 2 in. in length, breaking out all small growth, to 
assist the remaining growth to gain strength and vigour. It- is 
veiy injurious to crowd the leaves and. shoots, therefore make a 
good beginning with the proper number of shoots intended to 
remain." Growth should be restricted to proper limits, the 
shoots being regulated according to the position of the bunch. 
Stopping should take place at the second joint beyond the bunch, 
unless there is plenty of room at command, in which case they 
may be allowed to grow longer, to assist in inducing more 
vigour. Stop the laterals at the first leaf, never allowing them to 
grow so that a knife is required to remove them, always using 
finger and thumb. Winter pruning consists in cutting the side 
shoots back to one or two buds, as the grower may determine 
from what is usually called a spur. 
I am afraid you will consider me encroaching on your valuable 
space, as so much may be said 1 on the above subject. 
Studley Castle Gardens. Wm. Pen ton . 
A Chat About Chrysanthemums. 
So much has been written during recent years concerning the 
Chrysanthemum that one would be inclined to assert there re¬ 
mains nothing to add. That, however, cannot be the case so 
long as we have such ample scope for co-operation in trying to 
surmount those sinister peculiarities that often perplex even the 
greatest expert. How best can we develop “ hard buds ” J for 
example; or, again, how prevent that distressing ailment “ loss 
of foliage” so common, to many really high grade varieties? 
Then, there is the “ rust” malady—though, happily, we now hear 
less of this insidious disease. Still, the perfect remedy is awaited 
by many enthusiasts, amongst whom are many market growers, to 
whom a cheap yet perfect cure would mean a saving of a con¬ 
siderable sum of money annually. 
Occasionally, too, one hears the remark that popular regard 
for Chrysanthemums is on the wane. But, unfortunately, the 
statement has rarely, if ever, been made by any well-known 
successful grower and it is only too possible the wish is father 
to the thought. So long as Chrysanthemum societies continue 
to increase and flourish in the provinces at the present rate, such 
a remaik must be rather ill-timed. Further, we have good 
grounds to believe that raisers of new varieties of all types have 
but barely got beyond the fringe of possibilities of beauty either 
of form or colour; and, to illustrate what is meant, take the 
variety Mme. Carnot, which is constantly, and rightly, held up 
and referred to as the beau-ideal Chrysanthemum. Now, despite 
the heavy influx of new varieties each succeeding year, we can 
point only to a very few that equal this variety in form. One 
superb addition was undoubtedly made of this type last year 
with the variety Miss Mildred Ware, and it is our hope to see 
further additions this year; but until we possess fifty or more 
of such sorts in all shades of colour—not even excepting the 
“ blue,” the favourite dream of ardent zealots—there is no excuse 
for raisers to relax from their devotion to this fascinating avoca¬ 
tion. 
Similar remarks apply to each of the other types, i.e., incurved, 
reflexed, Anemones, pompons and singles, from which it would 
be easy to select what are held to be the premier varieties for the 
raiser’s ideal. But the remaining space may be more profitably 
used in deference to a type the scarcity of which is notable, and 
which to possess is the desideratum of many lovers of garden 
Chrysanthemums. I refer to the single varieties. That we have 
a plenitude of these of the finest forms and prettiest colours for 
November flowering is a well-known fact, but how few that are 
really suitable for the garden, to bloom, say, during September ! 
It is pleasing; however, to observe that a start has been made by 
one or two or our most enterprising raisers—raisers who, by the 
way, have achieved praiseworthy results with the Japanese type 
for the garden—and, that success is sure to wait upon their efforts 
to produce equal merit in early singles is the sincere opinion of 
H. J. G. 
Scale- 
One of the dirtiest pests which affect fruit trees is scale, and 
it is astonishing the rapidity with which it increases. Figs and 
Peaches under glass become more infested, perhaps, than any 
other kinds. Not but that these may be kept exempt, and they 
are in most gardens; but there are numbers of cases where scale 
attacks the subjects named through inattention to trifling details 
of cleanliness, or where plants affected are put in contact with 
others not infested. 
If the trees once become infested no half-hearted measures 
will suffice, but the insects will appear in greater numbers in 
succeeding years. If only scale is noticed even on a shoot of the 
trees, the stronghold should be attacked at once, or it may 
quickly spread all over the tree. Scale will attack not only the 
foliage and young wood of the Fig, but the fruit also, making it 
unfit for use. 
The Royal George Peach and Lord Napier Nectarine are more 
subject to this pest than any other varieties I am acquainted 
with, in many cases killing the young wood. Where, the trees 
are badly affected no drastic measures can be undertaken until 
the foliage has fallen, or the remedy applied will cause the foliage 
to fall too quickly, thereby weakening the fruit buds for the 
following season. 
All leaves should be burnt as soon as they fall, and the trees 
syringed with soft soap and petroleum mixed with warm rain 
water, as in its warm state it is more efficacious, using about two 
wineglassfuls to three gallons of water. Max. 
Fruit from Trinidad.— The steamer “La Plata” took 2,300 
bunches of Bananas from Trinidad for England on the 9th ult. 
This was a rapid increase on the last shipment, and 75 boxes >f 
Oranges also went. The Port of Spain “ Gazette ” says applica¬ 
tions have been made for 200,000 Banana suckers for Trinidad, 
but the people in Jamaica are making the price prohibitive. 
* Jj * The prize last week in the Readers’ Competition was 
awarded to “ William Penton ” for his article on 
“November Work in the Kitchen Garden,” page 930. 
