318 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  3,  1895. 
and  bears  freely,  the  fruit  being  fine  with  scarlet  cheeks  of  the  Blenheim 
type.  Though  there  were  several  others  not  yet  out,  he  would  complete 
the  Apples  by  mention  of  one  of  Messrs.  Eivera’  introductions,  Late 
Transparent,  which  is  a  good  grower  in  any  warm  corners,  the  fruit  is 
fine,  and  it  is  one  of  the  best  of  the  kitchen  sorts. 
Following  in  alphabetical  order  Cherries  next  claimed  attention,  new 
kinds  of  which  are  not  very  plentiful.  The  best  of  the  recent  introductions, 
though  but  little  known,  was  Early  Rivers,  with  large  black  fruit,  very 
hardy,  and  considered  to  be  one  of  the  best  early  Cherries  in  cultivation. 
Passing  on  to  Nectarines  the  first  mentioned  was  Early  Rivers,  rightly 
named,  said  the  essayist,  as  it  is  the  earliest  Nectarine  in  existence, 
coming  in  quite  seven  days  before  any  other,  while  the  flavour  is  grand. 
Newton  and  Spencer  were  both  mentioned  as  useful  kinds,  bearing 
large  fruit,  while  the  wood  and  habit  is  perfect.  For  a  midseason 
Nectarine  Mr.  Bunyard  recommended  Dryden,  a  large  highly  flavoured 
kind,  coming  in  about  August.  Several  others  were  mentioned,  and 
with  reference  to  Peaches  he  said  that,  although  several  good  early 
varieties  had  been  introduced  from  America,  still  we  were  yet  in  want 
of  a  first-class  early  Peach  of  good  flavour,  as  up  to  now  we  have  nothing 
superior  to  Hales’  Early.  Notes  on  the  culture  of  the  American  kinds 
referred  to  followed  ;  they  are  very  suitable  for  pot  culture  in  the 
orchard  house  if  stood  outdoors  about  three  weeks  before  the  fruit  is  ripe. 
Plums  came  next,  and  amongst  the  newest  kinds  Rivers’  Transparent 
Gages  were  placed  pre-eminent.  Late  Transparent  was  highly  spoken 
of  as  being  a  fine  late  kind,  coming  in  fully  ten  days  after  any  other  ; 
while  the  tree  is  of  dwarf  habit,  and  an  abundant  bearer.  Amongst 
others  mentioned  as  superior  was  Monarch,  a  large  purple  dessert  Plum, 
ripening  in  September.  Amongst  Damsons  Bradley’s  King,  raised  by 
the  late  Mr.  Bradley  of  Southwell,  was  classed  as  one  of  the  best. 
In  dealing  with  Pears  Mr.  Bunyard  spoke  of  Beacon  as  being  a 
profuse  bearer  on  the  Quince  stock,  and  in  flavour  very  sweet  and 
pleasant.  Several  others  were  mentioned,  and  their  qualifications  dwelt 
upon,  including  Conference,  a  fine  Pear  introduced  by  Mr.  Rivers, 
which  ripens  in  November.  The  tree  is  very  prolific,  and  Mr.  Bunyard 
considers  it  has  a  future  as  a  good  market  Pear.  A  French  Pear,  Electa, 
was  spoken  of  as  being  of  good  quality,  the  fruit  being  in  good  con¬ 
dition  in  January.  Rivers’  Magnet  and  Princess  the  essayist  considered 
to  be  fine  large  Pears,  but  much  neglected.  Several  other  dessert 
and  baking  Pears  were  also  spoken  of,  and  in  dealing  with  Quinces 
Mr.  Bunyard  said  these  had  been  introduced  chiefly  from  America 
in  large  quantities. 
Amongst  Raspberries  Superlative  was  accorded  the  highest  place, 
and  is  rapidly  gaining  in  popularity.  It  is  considered,  he  continued, 
to  be  the  best  for  preserving,  and  jam  made  with  it  improves  in  flavour 
with  keeping.  With  reference  to  Strawberries  Mr.  Laxton  had  been 
responsible  for  many  introductions,  and  he  regretted  that  noted  grower 
had  not  lived  to  see  the  popularity  of  several  of  his  latest  kinds.  He 
should  mention  Laxton’s  No.  1  as  being  the  earliest  of  all,  coming  in 
fully  ten  days  before  any  other.  Laxton’s  King  of  the  Earlies  was  also 
good,  and  these  were  followed  by  Royal  Sovereign.  Sensation  he  con¬ 
sidered  very  fine,  but  it  does  not  travel  well  when  gathered.  Amongst 
the  last  introductions  Laxton’s  Latest  of  All  is  one  of  the  best,  though 
under  some  conditions  its  rough  leaves  are  very  liable  to  attacks  from 
red  spider.  Mr.  Allan  of  Gunton  Park  has  been  responsible  for  several 
good  varieties,  including  Empress  of  India,  Gunton  Park,  and  Lord 
Suffield,  but  these  vary  much  according  to  locality,  as  this  year  they  had 
failed  with  him  in  the  south,  while  in  the  north  they  bad  fruited  well. 
Several  novelties  in  Grapes  were  mentioned,  but  Mr.  Bunyard  con¬ 
sidered  that  the  day  is  close  at  hand  when  Grapes  will  have  to  be  divided 
into  two  sections,  those  grown  for  size  and  appeagance,  and  others  in 
which  quality  predominates.  The  Japanese  Wineberry  was  spoken 
highly  of  as  a  recent  introduction,  valuable  both  as  a  handsome  climbing 
and  trailing  plant  and  also  for  its  qualities  as  a  palatable  fruit.  Several 
American  Blackberries  had  been  tried,  said  the  essayist ;  but  they  were 
looked  on  as  being  quite  a  failure,  and  nothing  had  been  sent  over  to 
equal  the  English  Blackberry,  This  finished  the  list,  and  in  conclusion 
Mr,  Bunyard  said  it  was  foolish  to  try  a  new  fruit  for  one  season, 
and  if  it  failed  give  it  up,  as  conditions  of  climate  and  locality  vary 
so  much.  It  was  always  his  custom  to  grow  a  new  fruit  at  least  five 
years  to  thoroughly  test  its  qualifications,  and  after  that,  if  not  good,  it 
is  destroyed.  Depend  on  it,  he  said,  that  when  sending  samples  to  be 
placed  before  the  Fruit  Committee  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society 
nothing  but  what  is  first-class  will  pass  the  vigilance  of  the  experts 
seated  at  the  table,  and  receive  a  certificate  or  award  of  merit. 
This  brought  the  lecture  to  a  close,  and  an  interesting  discussion 
followed,  in  which  Messrs.  Rivers,  Crump,  Roupell,  and  others  took 
part. 
Prukikg  Frtjit  Trees. 
On  Friday  a  most  interesting  and  instructive  paper,  on  “  Pruning  of 
Fruit  Trees,”  was  read  by  Mr.  Alfred  Pearson,  of  Chilwell,  Nottingham, 
who,  in  connection  with  the  well-known  firm  of  Messrs,  J.  R.  Pearson 
and  Sons,  has  had  a  life-long  experience  in  fruit  tree  culture.  The 
attendance  was  not  large,  but  in  the  discussion  that  followed  much 
interest  was  centred. 
The  essayist,  in  introducing  the  subject,  remarked  that  fruit  tree 
pruning  had  been  much  discussed.  There  were,  however,  a  great  many 
persons  sti'l  in  the  dark,  especially  amongst  amateurs,  and  it  was 
also  a  subject  about  which  there  was  a  great  diversity  of  opinion. 
First  the  amateur  buys  fruit  trees,  and  then  wants  to  know  whether 
it  is  the  correct  thing  to  prune  at  the  time  of  planting.  Now,  those 
who  are  not  advocates  of  pruning  at  planting  time  assert  that  it  is  a  ' 
great  check  on  the  trees  to  perform  the  operation  then  ;  while  on 
the  other  band,  advocates  for  this  system  state  the  branches  should 
then  be  shortened,  so  as  to  obtain  a  fair  balance  between  the  action 
of  the  branch  and  root  growth.  On  many  of  the  County  Council 
plots  in  various  parts  of  the  country  demonstrations  had  been  carried 
out  on  this  and  other  important  points,  which  had  proved  very  beneficial, 
and  from  experiments  which  had  taken  place  on  the  Duke  of  Bedford’s 
fruit  farm  at  Woburn,  it  had  been  estimated  that  on  pruned  trees  the 
leaf  surface  is  15  per  cent,  less  than  on  those  unpruned. 
With  reference  to  pruning,  the  manner  in  which  it  is  effected  must 
depend  a  great  deal  on  the  kind  of  tree  to  be  done,  and  in  his  opinion 
the  pruning  should  take  place  at  the  time  of  planting.  The  objects 
to  be  attained  by  pruning  were  next  dealt  with,  and  are  as  follows — 
first,  to  obtain  fruit,  and,  secondly,  to  keep  the  tree  in  a  good  shape ;  and 
though  the  principles  are  simple  enough,  the  application  of  them 
requires  a  considerable  amount  of  discretion.  It  is  impossible,  said 
Mr.  Pearson,  to  lay  down  any  hard  and  fast  rules  in  connection  with 
pruning,  and  proper  judgment  on  part  of  the  operator  must  be  used. 
Two  rules  may,  however,  be  adhered  to — first,  that  the  branches  should 
be  disposed  as  equally  as  can  be,  and,  secondly,  chat  it  should  be  the 
endeavour  to  get  all  leading  shoots  as  strong  as  possible  and  the  side 
growths,  on  the  other  hand,  weak.  The  more  the  branches  are 
stopped  the  stronger  will  the  remaining  buds  be,  and  in  pruning  all 
shoots  should  be  cut  back  to  about  one-third  their  length  and 
always  to  an  outside  bud ;  this  was  very  important  in  order  to  produce 
trees  with  heads  as  open  as  possible.  If  young  standard  trees  are  not 
pruned  they  will  produce  little  or  no  fruit  the  next  year,  the  majority  of 
the  buds  being  blind.  Pyramid  trees  require  different  treatment  to 
standards.  Young  specimens  should  be  well  pruned,  whilst  older  trans¬ 
planted  trees  simply  need  the  longer  shoots  shortening.  Very  close 
pruning  was  condemned  by  Mr.  Pearson  as  being  responsible  for  more 
failures  than  any  other  cause,  as  by  this  the  tree  was  transformed  into  a 
thick  mass,  and  it  was  quite  impossible  for  the  benefits  of  the  action  of 
the  sun  and  air  to  be  felt.  The  excuse  for  it  was  so  as  not  to  leave 
the  trees  unsightly  and  unshapely  in  habit.  An  ocular  demonstration 
was  then  given  on  the  pinching  of  growths  to  the  bloom  buds,  and 
remarks  made  on  the  spur  system  of  pruning  Apples,  Pears  and  Plums. 
Mr.  Pearson  then  produced  a  pyramid  tree,  and  showed  that  in  some 
instances  specimens  obtained  from  the  nursery  require  a  few  of  the 
branches  cutting  out  where  placed  too  thickly.  With  cordon  trees  the 
leading  branches  should  be  left  as  long  as  possible,  and  the  side  growths 
pruned  closely,  though  it  is  much  better  to  err  on  the  side  of  cutting 
away  too  little  rather  than  too  much. 
Examples  were  then  given  of  maiden  Pear  trees,  showing  that  some 
kinds  require  little  or  no  pruning,  whilst  in  others  the  case  is  opposite. 
With  espalier  trees  the  leading  shoots  should  be  cut  back  to  about 
14  inches,  and  the  side  branches,  disposed  at  about  a  foot  apart,  need  the 
same  treatment  as  cordons.  Mr.  Pearson  then  went  on  to  demonstrate 
the  difference  necessary  in  the  pruning  of  cordons  and  standards. 
Summer  pruning  was  next  dealt  with,  and  this  operation  when 
wrongly  performed,  said  the  essayist,  is  responsible  for  a  greater  loss  of 
garden  fruits  than  any  other  cause  ;  whereas,  if  properly  carried  out,  it 
is  the  right  thing  to  do,  and  good  results  will  accrue  from  it.  In 
summer  pruning  or  pinching  the  side  shoots  should  be  stopped  back 
to  three  leaves,  and  then  again  to  two,  making  five,  with  the  result  that 
the  side  shoots  are  kept  weak,  while  the  extra  sap  is  transferred  to  the 
leading  growths.  With  young  trees  three  buds  should  be  left,  whilst 
with  older  specimens  two  will  suffice. 
Speaking  of  Peaches,  Nectarines,  and  Apricots,  Mr.  Pearson  said  that 
he  had  not  dealt  with  them  in  his  paper,  as  these  trees  were  generally 
under  the  care  of  an  accomplished  gardener,  though  he  might  add  that 
all  stone  fruits  hate  the  knife,  and  require  less  pruning  than  any  other, 
so  that  great  care  was  necessary.  With  reference  to  root-pruning,  the 
essayist  maintained  that  if  proper  attention  was  paid  the  top  growth 
very  little  of  this  is  required ;  and  with  old  trees  much  care  should 
be  exercised  in  the  operation,  or  there  is  great  danger  of  killing  the 
tree.  The  work  should  be  done  as  early  as  possible,  before  all  the  leaves 
are  off.  A  trench  must  be  dug  round  the  tree  at  a  distance  varying 
according  to  the  age  and  size  of  the  specimen  operated  on,  and  the  roots 
cut  with  a  knife  in  a  slanting  position  upwards,  so  as  to  induce  the 
young  fibres  to  take  a, surface  direction.  A  spade  should  be  driven 
under  the  ball  to  sever  the  long  tap  roots,  and  the  trench  be  filled  up 
with  good  prepared  soil  as  soon  as  possible.  With  old  trees  it  was  best 
to  root-prune  only  half  way  round  one  season,  and  complete  the  circle 
the  next  year,  and  it  is  the  better  plan  to  withhold  manure  until  the 
fruit  is  swelling. 
The  operation  of  pruning  in  all  forms,  said  Mr.  Pearson,  is  one  which 
must  be  ruled  to  a  great  extent  by  the  judgment  of  the  operator,  and 
when  thoroughly  understood  and  properly  carried  out  many  are  the 
benefits  that  result  from  it ;  but  where  knowledge  of  the  subject  was 
imperfect  (instances  in  his  experience  being  given  of  this),  it  was  much 
the  batter  plan  to  err  on  the  side  of  too  little  rather  than  too  much 
pruning,  as  it  was  an  undoubted  fact  that  the  knife  was  responsible  for 
a  great  many  failures  in  the  fruit  garden.  On  conclusion  of  the  paper 
an  interesting  discussion  took  place,  and  several  questions  were  asked, 
to  which  Mr.  Pearson  afterwards  replied,  and  a  hearty  vote  of  thanks 
for  his  interesting  essay  brought  the  proceedings  to  a  close, 
Commercial  Aspects  of  Hardy  Fruit  Growing. 
On  Saturday  a  most  able  essay  on  the  “  Commercial  Aspects  of  Hardy 
Fruit  Growing  in  Great  Britain  ”  was  read.  It  will  be  remembered 
