88 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  1,  1900, 
pinching  the  shoots  of  ycung  trees  root  action  is  arrested,  strong 
growth  prevented,  and  a  compact  fruitful  habit  induced  to  fit  the  trees 
for  certain  positions  in  gardens.  Even  Peach  and  Morello  Cherry  trees 
can  be  made  to  produce  clusters  of  blossom  buds  by  pinching,  and  it 
would  be  strange  indeed  if  Apples  and  Pears  could  not  be  brought 
into  the  same  condition  by  similar  means.  The  change  is  the  simple 
effect  of  an  arrestation  of  growth. 
This  arrestation  can  be  brought  about  still  more  markedly  in 
another  way,  with  the  result  of  a  still  greater.and  quicker  increase  in 
the  number  of  blossom  buds — namely,  by  checking  the  extension  of 
the  roots.  This  brings  us  more  immediately  to  a  case  of  “  blossom 
bud  formation.”  This  subject  generally  was  discussed  in  the  Journal 
of  Horticulture  some  months  ago,  but  left  in  a  more  or  less  nebulous 
state.  Perhaps  the  narrative  to  follow  will  do  something  towards 
placing  it  on  a  concrete  basis. 
Once  upon  a  time,  which  Mr,  Ellison  will  recollect,  the  late  Dr. 
Hogg  visited  his  garden,  but  he  may  not  be  equally  well  aware  that 
the  present  writer  had  a  long  and  interesting  discussion  with  the 
Doctor  over  the  then  young  and  promising  trees.  I  know  well,  from 
experiments  conducted  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  information  on 
the  point,  that  a  tree  restricted  in  vigour  by  shoot  pinching,  and  still 
more  by  root  restriction,  produced  far  more  blossom  in  a  given  time 
over  a  given  branch  area  than  did  a  tree  of  the  same  variety  of  the 
same  age  and  in  the  same  kind  of  soil  that  was  practically  left  to 
take  its  own  course. 
But  though  knowing  that  very  well,  there  was  a  little  matter 
that  I  did  not  know,  and  very  much  wanted  to  know.  I  have  since 
lound  that  there  are  men  who  really  do  know  a  great  deal  about 
gardening,  but  who  do  not  yet  know  clearly  what  I  was  intent  on 
extracting  from  the  great  pomologist.  I  tried  to  draw  out  of  him 
what  I  wanted  without  betraying  my  own  ignorance,  but  failed. 
At  last,  thinking  if  the  opportunity  was  lost  for  enlightenment 
another  of  a  like  kind  might  never  occur,  courage  born  of  despair 
came  to  the  rescue,  and  the  plunge  was  made  in  this  way : — 
“  Doctor,  I  want  to  ask  you  a  plain  question  on  a  definite  point, 
but  so  simple  it  must  be  to  you  that  I  am  afraid  you  will  think  me 
very  ignorant,  and  I  hardly  like  to  proceed.” 
“  Oh,  no,”  was  the  reply ;  “  I  shall  not  think  you  ignorant,  but 
should  be  inclined  to  think  you  were  if  you  did  not  ask  me  anything 
you  desired  to  know  that  I  might  be  able  to  tell  you.”  That  was 
something  to  be  remembered,  and  the  reply  led  me  to  ask  scores  of 
questions  subsequently  of  whoever  I  thought  could  answer  them. 
1  was  no  longer  afraid  of  seeming  ignorant,  and  that  has  been  a  gain 
to  me.  But  to  proceed : — 
“  Well,  Doctor,  the  simple  question  I  want  to  ask  is  this:  What  is 
a  blossom  bud,  and  how  is  it  formed  ?  ”  A  pause  and  penetrating 
look,  then  came  this  reply,  slowly  and  thoughtfully  : — 
You  call  that  a  simple  question,  do  you  ?  I  call  it  a  dual 
question,  never  before  asked  of  me  by  a  gardener.  It  is  important, 
and  I  will  answer  according  to  my  view  of  the  matter.” 
Then  came  the  pronouncement,  and  it  made  the  causes  of  certain 
effects  clear  that  were  before  obscure. 
“A  blossom  bud  is  an  arrested  and  changed  leaf  or  wood  bud,  and 
the  embryo  leaves  are  changed  within  it  into  floral  organs,  for  all 
flowers  are  modifications  of  embryonic  leaves,  which  if  not  arrested 
would  develop  into  ordinary  green  leaves,  such  as  you  see  around  you.” 
What  a  flood  of  light  was  thus  thrown  into  a  young  inquiring 
mind.  Then  was  seen  more  clearly  than  before  why  arrestation  of 
vigour  in  the  tree  by  pinching  and  root-pruning  led  to  the  increase  in 
blossom  buds. ' 
Next  followed  an  examination  of  buds.  “Here,”  1  pointed  out, 
“is  one  undoubtedly  a  blossom  bud,  and  another  unquestionably  a 
leaf  or  wood  bud ;  but  what  are  these  others  ?  They  appear  to  be 
neither  the  one  nor  the  other;  what  will  they  become  ?” 
“  Oh,”  was  the  rejoinder,  “  they  are  in  the  transition  stage,  and 
some  may  extend  into  growth,  others  be  changed  into  blossom.  Pro¬ 
bably  if  this  tree  was  nourished  with  liquid  manure  most  of  them 
would  be  forced  into  leaf-bearing  shoots  as  they  would  if  the  branches 
were  shortened ;  if  that  tree  were  taken  up  and  replanted,  thus 
stopping  the  sap  pressure,  the  majority  would  be  so  far  arrested  as 
to  bring  about  the  change  before  mentioned,  and  the  majority  become 
blossom  buds.” 
Alt  this  was  highly  interesting,  and  now  comes  the  sequel  and 
the  proof  of  the  soundness  of  the  Doctor’s  “  views.”  T  do  not  know 
whether  the  same  subject  was  discussed  between  Mr.  Ellison  and  his 
guest  or  not,  but  I  do  know  that  a  number  of  young  Pear  trees  of  the 
isame  variety,  all  as  like  as  trees  could  be  in  size,  shape,  stature,  and 
character,  were  growing  side  by  side  in  the  Manse  garden.  They  were 
studded  with  buds  in  the  transition  stage — buds  which  no  one  could 
say  with  the  least  degree  of  certainty  whether  they  would  produce 
green  leaves  or  floral  leaves — blossom,  when  next  summoned  into 
activity.  The  owner  of  the  trees,  in  accordance  with  his  habit, 
decided  to  “  prove  ”  the  influence  of  the  arrestation  of  growth  theory 
on  the  buds,  by  taking  up  and  replanting  every  alternate  tree.  This 
was  done  in  the  autumn,  and  I  saw  the  trees  a  week  afterwards.  The 
others  were  not  disturbed. 
Five  months  subsequently,  or  in  the  following  April,  I  was  invited 
to  see  the  trees  again,  and  was  simply  astounded.  They  afforded  a 
sight  and  a  lesson  never  to  be  forgotten.  The  transplanted  trees, 
every  one  of  them,  were,  so  to  say,  “  white  ”  with  blossom — 
studded  most  freely  with  trusses  of  flowers,  not  large,  but  in  the 
aggregate  decidedly  imposing  under  the  circumstances.  A  few  of 
the  unremoved  trees  had  produced  a  cluster  of  flowers  here  and 
there,  but  several  of  them  contained  not  a  solitary  truss,  those  buds 
that  did  not  remain  stationary,  or  apparently  so,  having  extended 
into  leaf-bearing  shoots. 
I  am  almost  certain  the  facts  were  stated  in  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture  at  the  time,  but  probably  “  buried  ”  in  an  article. 
After  a  long  and  unavailing  search  for  the  record  I  some  time  ago 
wrote  to  Mr.  Ellison  on  the  subject  of  his  experiment,  and  here  is  his 
reply _ 
“  Late  in  the  sixties  I  grafted  seventy-five  Quince  stocks  with 
Beurre  de  Capiaumont,  from  which  I  raised  seventy-three  trees.  Of 
these  thirty-six  were  transplanted  and  thirty-five  bore  fruit  in  the 
following  year.  Of  the  thirty -seven  not  moved  only  one  fruited. 
Seventy-two  of  these  trees  now  form  an  avenue.” 
No  such  direct  and  conclusive  evidence  on  the  acceleration  of 
blossom  buds  by  an  arrestation  of  growth  iorce,  or  reduction  of  sap 
pressure  on  certa  n  buds,  has,  so  far  as  I  know,  been  published.  It 
satisfies  me  at  least  that  a  tree  does  not,  as  some  excellent  men  appear 
to  think,  give  birth,  so  to  say,  to  two  distinct  tonus  of  buds— one 
predestined  to  produce  shoots  and  green  leaves,  the  other  blossom  and 
fruit,  but  only  one  kind  is  produced  originally,  and  I  strongly  suspect 
the  Doctor  was  right  that  a  blossom  bud  is  an  arrested  leaf  or  wood 
bud,  nothing  less  and  nothing  more. 
How  far  growth  arrestation,  either  by  shoot  pinching  or  root 
shortening,  is  desirable  for  giving  the  most  profitable  results  in  fruit 
yielding,  is  not  the  question  at  issue,  the  facts  stated  having  exclusive 
reference  to  blossom  bud  formation. — A  Lincolnshike  Gardener. 
ORYPTOMERIA  JAPONICA. 
This  handsome  Conifer  is  deserving  of  a  place  in  any  garden, 
being  quick-growing,  thoroughly  hardy,  and  thriving  in  almost  any 
kind  of  soil.  In  a  young  state  especially  it  is  a  strong,  vigorous- 
looking  plant,  and  shows  to  advantage  in  practically  any  situation.  A 
native  of  the  mountains  of  China  and  Japan,  it  is  largely  cultivated 
in  the  latter  country,  especially  for  avenue'^,  one  in  particular  about 
fifty  miles  long  being  said  to  be  planted  almost  entirely  with  this  tree. 
In  a  wild  state  it  forms  a  tree  of  pyramidal  outline,  120  to  150  feet  in 
height,  but  in  this  country  the  tallest  specimens  are  probably  not 
more  than  50  feet  high  as  yet. 
Under  cultivation  it  makes  many  spreading  branches,  which  curve 
iipwar(is  at  the  ends,  and  which  on  old  plants  are  bare  for  about  half 
their  length  from  the  main  stem.  The  leaves  are  closely  set  together 
on  the  branches,  linear  in  shape,  and  sharply  pointed.  In  cross 
section  they  show  a  somewhat  four  sided  outline,  and  are  marked 
with  two  glaucous  lines  beneath.  The  cones  are  globular  in  form 
and  prickly  when  ripe ;  and,  though  freely  produced  on  comparatively 
young  plants,  do  not  always  contain  good  seeds,  which  is  probably 
due  to  bad  weather  during  the  time  of  fertilisation. 
There  are  several  varieties,  of  which  the  var.  elegans  (C.  Veitchi) 
is  undoubtedly  the  best,  and  which  forms  a  remarkably  handsome  and 
useful  garden  plant,  though  it  has  been  unfavourably  reported  on 
by  some  as  rather  tender,  and  instead  of  being  a  “thing  of  beauty” 
in  the  winter — when  it  is  at  its  best — is  said  to  be  an  eyesore.  But  it 
should  always  be  remembered  that  Conifers — more  especially  those 
found  outside  of  Europe — ^do  not  grow  equally  well  in  all  ]ilaces,  a 
distance  of  a  few  miles  making  a  great  deal  of  difference  in  their 
habits,  and  no  Conifer  should  be  discarded  until  it  has  been  thoroughly 
tested. 
The  plant  in  question  was  introduced  from  Japan  in  1861,  and  has 
never  been  found  in  a  wild  state,  probably  being  a  sport  originating 
under  cultivation.  It  has  a  beautiful  feathery  appearance  ;  linear, 
flattened  leaves,  much  softer  in  texture  than  those  of  the  type,  and 
the  secondary  branches  are  short  and  slightly  pendulous.  The  whole 
tree  is  of  a  bright  green  colour  in  the  summer,  but  in  winter  it 
changes  to  a  vivid  bronzy  crimson  hue,  the  depth  of  colour,  however, 
varying  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  being  much  brighter  in  some 
places  than  in  others. — C. 
