56 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENED. 
January  21,  189?. 
Bathurst  issued  through  his  agent,  Mr.  Lander,  about  fifty  persons,  all 
evidently  deeply  interested  in  the  subject,  attended.  Mr.  Bathurst 
kindly  presided,  and  after  explaining  the  objects  in  view,  introduced 
me.  My  address  was  a  long  one,  extending  over  ninety  minutes,  spoken 
from  notes,  but  so  closely  was  attention  held  that  none  present  moved 
an  inch  the  whole  time,  except  one  who  had  to  catch  a  train,  and  when 
I  had  concluded  everyone  seemed  to  have  been  greatly  impressed,  and 
a  hearty  vote  of  thanks  was  accorded. 
The  lecture  covered  wide  ground,  for  after  referring  to  the  demon¬ 
stration  of  the  day,  I  pointed  out  that  the  modern  idea  of  Apple  culture 
was  in  relation  to  securing  a  raw  fruit  supply  for  the  nation,  and  to  that 
end  my  remarks  would  be  addressed.  I  deprecated  strongly  the  practice 
of  planting  young  trees  in  the  soil  of  old  exhausted  Apple  orchards  as 
bad  practice,  but  mentioned  that  Plums  would  thrive  well  after  Apples, 
and  recommended,  to  secure  a  good  succession  over  a  loDg  season,  to 
plant  Rivers’  Early  Prolific,  Czar,  Victoria,  Emperor,  Monarch,  and 
Archduke,  with  of  Damsons  Farleigh  Prolific  and  Bradley’s  King. 
I  advised  that  young  Apple  trees,  whether  standard  or  dwarf,  should 
always  be  planted  in  fresh  soil  in  sunny  situations,  and  where 
practicable  on  slight  ascents  rather  than  in  valleys,  thuB  giving  the 
trees  more  light,  air,  and  warmth,  also  that  the  soil  be  deeply  worked  by 
trenching  or  subsoiling,  and  if  well  manured  first  for  a  root  or  Potato 
crop,  then  in  the  late  autumn  it'should  be  in  the  best  possible  condition 
for  planting,  and  then  no  raw  manure  whatever  should  be  used.  In 
relation  to  the  planting  of  suitable  trees  I  advised  the  formation  of 
estate  nurseries,  under  competent  management,  a  remark  which  met 
with  the  approval  of  the  Chairman,  but  who  nevertheless  naturally 
wished  to  see  reciprocity  in  the  form  of  proper  after  treatment  on  the 
part  of  the  tenants.  Distances  for  planting  medium  and  strong  growers 
were  given,  also  instructions  as  to  the  planting,  staking,  and  other 
routine  work.  I  advised,  where  practicable,  if  trees  be  purchased  from 
nurseries,  getting  maidens  as  cheaper  and  less  risky.  The  first  and 
second  year’s  prunings,  and  later  treatment  were  described,  also  in  case 
of  under  cropping  on  arable  soil,  the  best  other  bush  fruit  to  plant,' 
culture  in  general,  cleaning,  thinning,  top-dressing,  and  feeding  with 
manures,  and  sewage,  especially  when  the  trees  are  carrying  large 
crops,  were  all  referred  to.  _ 
The  subject  of  root-pruning  and  the  object  in  view  was  mentioned, 
the  special  purpose  being  to  convert  mere  wood-producing  buds  into 
fruit  buds  by  checking  the  too  strong  flow  of  sap.  The  mineral  con¬ 
stituents  of  Apples  were  described,  and  it  was  pointed  out  that  to  replace 
these  in  the  soil  the  applied  manures  should  consist  of  about  nitrogen  4, 
potash  6,  and  phosphate  3,  given  if  artificials  at  the  rate  of  about  5  to 
6  cwt.  per  acre,  or  else  in  small  quantities  of  several  ounces  to  each 
tree.  The  various  insect  pests  to  which  trees  are  subject  were  described, 
and  how  to  check  them,  especially  in  relation  to  the  spraying  of  trees 
with  arsenical  mixtures.  I  advised  that  Parish  or  District  Councils  or 
landownerB  might  render  good  service  by  providing  at  moderate  cost 
for  the  use  of  the  locality  the  needful  sprayers,  tubs  to  prepare  the 
mixture,  and  the  materials  also,  as  it  was  so  improbable  that  any  one 
grower  would  do  anything,  especially  when  his  orchard  joined  on  to 
others  that  were  left  unsprayed,  and  probably  smothered  with  cater¬ 
pillars.  The  renovating  of  sound  old  trees  of  worthless  sorts  by  spring 
grafting  was  described.  _ 
Then  the  gathering,  storing,  grading,  and  marketing  the  fruit  came 
under  notice,  especially  in  relation  to  checking  foreign  competition.  I 
urged  in  the  strongest  way  I  could  the  forsaking  of  our  old  bad  methods, 
copying  the  very  best  of  the  foreigners,  and  in  that  way  getting  our  fruit 
into  every  grocer’s  store,  as  the  imported  fruit  does.  Naturally,  the  full 
exposition  of  these  points  took  some  time.  Finally  I  gave  short  lists  of 
suitable  Apples  for  general,  if  not  always  best  for  local  culture.  For 
eating — Irish  Peach,  Worcester  Pearmain,  Kins  of  the  Pippins.  Cox’s 
Orange  Pippin,  Adams’  Pearmain,  and  Cockle  Pippin  ;  of  medium 
growers  for  standards,  as  cookers,  Manx  Codlin,  Stirling  Castle,  Cox’s 
Pomona,  Potts’  Seedling,  Bismarck,  and  Lane’s  Prince  Albert ;  then  of 
strong  growers  for  wide  distances,  Lord  Grosvenor,  Warner’s  King, 
Blenheim  Pippin,  Waltham  Abbey  Seedling,  Newton  Wonder,  and 
Bramley’s  Seedling.  All  may  not  accept  these  lists,  but  generally  they 
are  of  the  best. — Alex,  Dean,  F.R.H.S. 
[Relative  to  the  experience  above  described,  Mr.  Lander  writes  to 
us  as  follows  : — “  Mr.  Bathurst,  and  all  who  saw  and  heard  Mr.  Dean, 
have  only  one  opinion,  and  this  is  that  he  is  thoroughly  master  of  the 
subject  he  dealt  with.  His  lecture  was  the  best  I  have  ever  heard,  and 
there  are  scores  of  people  now  regretting  they  were  not  present.”] 
WINTER  PRUNING. 
( Continued  from  page  14.) 
Grape  Vines. — On  many  buildings  there  are  Vines  that  never  pro¬ 
duce  any  fruit,  In  other  cases  exactly  similar  the  Vines  bear  abundant 
crops.  The  growths  in  the  first  case  are  let  grow  anyhow,  and  are  cut 
back  in  winter  to  a  couple  of  eyes,  and  the  result  is  a  splendid  crop  of 
leaves.  In  the  other  instance  the  spurs  are  kept  so  far  apart  that  each 
growth  has  space  for  the  display  of  its  leaves,  and  pinching  is  practised 
at  the  first  joint  showing  a  tendril  or  bunch,  usually  the  sixth  from  the 
base,  and  the  laterals  are  afterwards  kept  from  overcrowding  the  main 
leaves.  Such,  pruned  to  two  buds  as  soon  as  the  leaves  are  down,  give 
the  desired  bunches,  surplus  growths  being  rubbed  off.  Nothing  is  so 
tractable  as  the  Vine.  It  wants  a  south  aspect,  and  a  generous  soil  con¬ 
taining  plenty  of  grit  and  free  drainage.  When  the  rods  get  old,  and 
the  spurs  long  and  weak,  training  in  a  young  cane  and  cutting  an  old 
rod  out  makes  all  right  again,  only  get  spurs  at  the  right  distance  apart 
(12  to  18  inches). 
Peaches  and  Nectarines. — Though  often  advised  for  house  walls 
they  are  miserable  failures,  for  cottagers  and  farmers  will  treat  them 
like  Apricot  trees,  and  get  sorrowfully  small  fruit  and  mere  wrecks  of 
trees  in  a  short  time  after  the  space  is  covered.  Still,  some  get  along 
fairly  well  with  such  treatment,  the  trees  being  given  a  good  thinning 
in  autumn  as  soon  as  the  fruit  is  gathered,  thus  reserving  the  younger 
wood,  and  always  having  some  new  ones  every  year.  Under  this  Morello 
Cherry-like  treatment  the  trees  bear  on  both  spurs  and  last  year’s 
shoots.  It  has  the  advantage  of  being  very  simple,  and  it  must  be  said 
gives  fruit  when  the  annual  shoot  system  fails,  for  the  spurs  always 
have  the  wood  riper  than  the  stronger  sappier  shoots. 
The  orthodox  exclusive  last  year’s  wood-bearing  system  is  almost  too 
much  for  cottagers  and  farmers,  and  it  must  be  said  for  many  profes¬ 
sionals,  as  evidenced  in  the  miserable  examples  frequently  met  with  on 
walls.  Of  course,  it  is  the  climate,  but  it  is  more  the  change  of  methods 
rather  than  divergence  in  weather,  for  Peaches  and  Nectarines  are  quite 
as  well  done  in  some  places  now  as  ever  they  were.  The  pruning  is 
generally  the  last  done,  but  why  the  old  wood  should  hot  be  cut  out 
after  the  fruit  is  gathered,  as  is  done  under  glass,  is  not  so  clear.  If  a 
good  thing  for  one  it  ought  to  be  for  the  other.  With  fan  training  the 
system  is  easy  enough,  the  thing  being  to  have  each  year  enough  sturdy 
well  ripened  shoots  for  supplanting  the  preceding  ones.  If  a  limb  goes 
off,  or  it  is  desired  to  cut  out  a  worn-out  branch  and  supplant  it  by 
vigorous  bearing  wood,  the  matter  is  easy,  and  though  the  trees  so 
treated  may  not  be  equal  in  appearance  to  those  on  the  Seymour  method 
they  are  very  serviceable. 
On  account  of  the  facility  in  distinguishing  the  buds,  pruning , is 
deferred  until  they  commence  swelling  in  the  spring.  The  weather  is 
also  then  more  favourable  to  the  operator,  and  if  any  damage  has  been 
done  by  frost  it  is  clearly  seen.  But  from  the  advanced  Btate  of  the 
buds  very  little  can  be  done  in  the  way  of  dressing  the  trees  to  prevent 
the  incursion  of  insects  in  the  coming  season.  Indeed,  little  of  that 
sort  of  thing  is  now  done,  whereas  formerly  it  was  as  common  to  dress 
fruit  trees  in  winter  as  to  prune  them.  Even  when  the  trees  were 
loosened  from  the  wall  something  was  done  to  keep  pests  from  again 
appearing  to  devastate  the  growths  and  crops.  Walls  were  dressed  as 
well  as  the  trees,  and  no  doubt  did  some  good.  I  advise  this  very  desirable 
practice,  for,  whatever  may  be  said  to  the  contrary,  there  are  pests 
that  hibernate,  red  spider  being  one,  and  to  kill  one  of  these  red  globules 
(they  coil  up  so  as  to  resemble  an  egg)  is  many  hindered  existing.  Any 
of  the  advertised  insecticides  will  do  for  them,  as  when  trees  are 
dormant  the  solutions  can  be  applied  at  a  much  greater  strength  than 
would  be  Bafe  when  the  trees  are  in  growth.  Aphis  eggs  are  usually 
deposited  on  the  shoots  by  the  buds,  and  may  be  killed  by  the  caustic 
soda  and  pearlash  wash,  but  it  must  be  one-fourth  weaker  than 
employed  on  Apple  trees,  and  only  employed  when  the  trees  are  quite 
dormant.  If  sprayed  on,  the  wall  gets  a  share,  and  every  pest  being 
wetted  there  is  an  end  of  them.  The  fungoid  pests  are  hardly  getatable, 
for  both  blister  fungus  (Exoascus  deformans),  and  fruit  rot  fungus 
(Monilia  fructigenum)  have  perennial  mycelia,  and  as  dormant  in  the 
wood  as  the  trees,  while  mildew  is  boxed  up  snugly  in  the  peritheciums. 
Pears. — Perhaps  the  most  satisfactory  of  wall  fruits,  enormous  ex¬ 
amples  being  produced.  What  has  been  stated  under  Apples  applies  to 
Pears.  It  is  simply  a  question  of  keeping  the  spurs  thin,  and  having  little 
or  no  spray,  for  there  is  never  a  satisfactory  crop  of  shoots  and  fruit  at  the 
same  time.  Extension  reached  its  limit,  then  comes  the  struggle  ;  either 
the  spurs  must  have  light  without  an  overgrowth  of  sappy  shoots,  or 
these  must  be  prevented  by  root-pruning.  Sometimes  it  is  better  to 
start  boldly  afresh,  cutting  away  some  or  all  of  the  branches  and  training 
in  others,  instead  of  going  on  from  year  to  year  with  barren  trees. 
Even,  in  certain  cases,  heading  every  limb,  and  regrafting  gives  ex¬ 
cellent  results  in  the  case  of  trees  on  Pear  stocks.  Indifferent  or  bad 
doing  varieties  may  thus  be  supplanted  by  the  most  approved.  Fan- 
trained  trees  are  readily  treated  in  that  way,  but  horizontal  trained  ones 
are  less  amenable.  The  thing  is  to  do  something,  and  not  go  on  from 
year  to  year  with  nothing  but  a  crop  of  shoots.  Insects  same  as  Apples. 
Plums. — Everybody  goes  in  for  Plums.  There  is  always  a  more  or 
less  glut  of  them,  and  they  never  bring  the  price  of  Apricots.  Of  course, 
they  will  grow  on  east  or  west  wails,  but  Apricots  want  the  best  southern 
aspect.  That  makes  things  better,  as  the  east  can  be  kept  for  the  Plums, 
and  west  for  the  Pears.  Plums  are  best  fan-trained,  as  the  growths  can 
be  adjusted  to  fit  in  anywhere,  and  when  they  become  too  crowded  in 
the  limbs  by  the  spurs  these  can  be  thinned.  Overgrown  or  old  trees 
also  can  be  rejuvenated  by  cutting  out  old  limbs  and  training  in  young 
shoots,  which  in  the  year  following  will  form  spurs,  and  in  the  next 
bear  enormously.  If  left  alone  there  will  be  the  usual  paucity  of  fruit 
and  a  great  quantity  of  useless  shoots.  Spurring  side  shoots  to  an  inch 
of  their  base,  and  keeping  the  spurs  fairly  thin  and  close  to  the  wall,  is 
about  all  Plums  require,  with  shortening  leaders  to  get  growths  at  the 
right  places. 
In  the  matter  of  insects,  what  answers  for  Peaches  suits  Plums  in  the 
way  of  precautionary  measures  ;  but  the  wood  is  harder,  and  will  bear 
more  in  the  way  of  strength.  Aphis  and  red  spider  are  the  worst  enemies 
of  Plum  trees,  the  eggs  being  deposited  on  the  shoots.  This  as  regards 
aphis,  but  red  spider  hibernates  —  both  species  of  Tetranychus  and 
Bryobia.— G.  Abbey. 
