48 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  20,  1899. 
have  freely  permeated  the  fresh  soil,  and  on  the  other  hand,  not 
a'lowing  them  to  suffer  through  lack  of  moisture  after  that  stage  is 
reached,  as  healthy  vigorous  plants  require  a  considerable  amount  of 
waiur  dining  bright  weather,  and  an  occasional  application  of  clvmical 
manure  is  ol  great  assistance  in  securing  strong  clean  growths. 
Now  let  us  turn  to  the  treatment  of  old  plants,  as  such  are 
extremely  useful  for  supplying  quantities  of  flowers  during  autumn 
and  early  winter.  Plants  which  were  flowered  last  season  in  6-inch 
pots,  and  shifted  during  April  or  May  iuto  the  9-inch  size,  will  now 
require  attention  in  the  matter  of  staking.  A  few  stakes  placed  round 
the  sides  of  the  pot  and  one  in  the  centre  will  usually  suffice  ;  if  the 
main  shoots  are  tied  to  these  the  lateral  ones  can  easily  bo  secured  to 
strong  green  thread  fastened  to  the  outer  stakes  and  carried  to  the 
central  one.  In  this  way  the  numerous  shoots  formed  can  be  equally 
distributed  over  the  whole  space,  which  tends  to  insure  thorough 
ripening,  and  eventually  plenty  of  flowers.  All  flower  stems  showing 
at  the  present  time  ought  to  be  removed,  and  those  subsequently 
formed  allowed  to  extend  for  autumn  flowering.  Some  varieties,  such 
as  Winter  Scarlet,  produce  such  a  quantity  of  “grass”  that  I  find 
it  necessary  to  remove  the  weaker  growths  to  prevent  overcrowding. 
If  it  is  necessary  to  increase  the  stock,  these  will  root  quickly  if 
inserted  in  sandy  soil  and  placed  in  a  cold  frame  or  hand-light. 
When  the  tying  is  completed  arrange  the  plants  in  an  open 
position  and  partially  plunge  the  pots  in  ashes.  It  is  a  good  plan  to 
allow  the  plants  abundance  of  room,  not  only  with  the  object  of 
insuring  a  free  circulation  of  air  among  them,  but  also  for  the  sake 
of  convenience  in  watering  :  the  operator  ought  to  be  able  to  reach  and 
examine  each  pot  readily.  By  arranging  them  in  beds  having  four 
rows  of  plants  set  in  angular  fashion,  and  a  walk  all  round  the  bed, 
this  object  is  easily  accomplished.  An  occasional  application  of  Clay’s 
fertiliser  is,  I  find,  of  great  benefit  to  Carnations,  so  also  is  a  light 
syringing  during  the  afternoon  of  bright  days. 
A  good  time  to  remove  the  plants  under  glass  is  during  the  last 
week  in  September,  and  if  placed  in  a  light  spin-roofed  structure 
where  they  receive  abundance  of  air  on  all  favourable  occasions,  they 
will  give  a  good  return  for  the  labour  bestowed  upon  them.  Some  of 
the  best  varieties  are  William  Robinson  (a  large  handsome  scarlet), 
Winter  Scarlet  (very  free  flowering).  Daybreak  (rich  flesh  pink),  Miss 
Jolliffe  Improved,  Mrs.  Leopold  de  Rothschild,  Lady  Nina  Balfour,  and 
Flora  llill  (a  grand  white).— H.  D. 
PINCHING  FRUIT  TREES. 
In  bearing  out  my  opinion,  given  in  our  Journal,  May  11th, 
page  393,  that  pinching  does  assist  fruit  bud  formation,  I  will  deal 
with  a  Pear  tree  which  was  planted  under  unfavourable  conditions. 
For  the  last  ten  years  it  has  not  produced  a  blossom,  but  has 
made  plenty  of  growth,  also  formed  numbers  of  incipient  blossom 
buds.  These  have  only  advanced  to  a  certain  stage,  which  I  call 
the  dormant  stage,  at  which  they  remain. 
I  will  now  endeavour  to  explain  why  I  think  pinching  assists 
blossom  bud  formation.  The  tree  in  question  is  full  of  buds  which 
never  elongate  into  growth.  These  buds  swell  to  a  certain  size,  at 
which  they  stop.  At  the  base  of  each  bud  are  from  three  to  five 
leaves;  these  leaves  die  away  each  year,  and  the  following  year  the 
same  number  of  similar  leaves  appear  around  the  same  buds  as  before, 
all  growth  buds  bursting  in  direct  opposition  to  these  dormant  fruit 
buds.  This  tree  for  ten  years  has  had  the  side  growths  from  the 
main  branches  summer  pinched,  and  the  leaders  pruned  only  in  winter. 
As  a  result  we  have  clusters  of  spurs  from  top  to  bottom  of  the 
branches. 
Under  the  bark  of  these  spurs  may  be  found  any  quantity  of 
nodules, caused,  in  my  opinion,  by  the  tree  depositing  starchy  ingredients 
suitable  for  the  manufacture  of  fruit  buds.  The  deposit  at  this  point 
is,  in  my  view,  the  result  of  a  check  to  the  free  movement  of  the 
sap,  brought  about  by  pinching.  The  moment  the  pinching  is  done 
the  sap  is  diverted  and  takes  a  more  or  less  circular  course ;  it  becomes 
thickened  and  sluggish,  organised  matter  is  deposited,  and  a  bud  forms 
at  the  point  at  which  the  sap  is  checked.  It  will  often  ne  n<  ticed  that 
while  Pears  and  Apples  are  forming  their  pips  a  check  to  the  sap  takes 
place  and  causes  a  bud  to  form  at  the  base  of  the  fruit  stalk.  I  think 
if  the  young  growths  were  not  pinched  no  extra  incipient  fruit  buds 
would  appear,  for  the  simple  reason  there  would  be  no  spurs  for  them 
to  form  upon.  I  claim  that  pinching  has  completely  covered  this  barren 
tree  with  spurs. 
It  will  1  all  times  be  noticed  in  fruit  culture  that  the  less  growth 
a  tree  makes  the  more  fruit  buds  it  produces.  Compare  a  pinched 
Red  Currant  tree  with  one  that  is  not  pinched.  In  the  month  of 
October  the  former  will  be  full  of  prominent  buds,  quite  30  per 
#wnt.  better  than  the  other.  This  convinces  me  that  wherever  the 
flow  ot  sap  is  checked  it  assumes  a  different  course,  and  its  action 
upon  a  given  point  results  in  an  embryonic  fruit  bud — a  new  birth,  if 
you  like  to  so  call  it.  If  no  obstruction  to  the  sap  takes  place  the 
richness  of  the  tree  runs  to  waste  in  the  form  of  fruitless  growth.  In 
a  well  managed  and  pinched  tree,  I  think  in  a  given  sp>ce  we  get 
three  b’ossom  buds  to  two  on  non-pinched  trees.  T  also  fancy  that 
trees,  say  Apples  and  Pears,  from  the  time  the  bud  formation  takes 
place  until  it  develops  into  blossom,  is  about  four  3  ears,  and  it  is 
with  diflereut  aged  buds  that  the  supply  is  kept  up. 
Now,  suppose  I  lifted  this  bairen  treo,  and  replan! ed  it  under 
the  best  conditions,  I  should  not  be  surprised  to  see  it  the  year  after 
to  be  one  mass  of  blossom,  produced  from  buds  that  had  for  many 
years  been  in  a  resting  stage,  and  only  casting  off  three  to  five  leaves. 
1  think  the  more  spurs  we  add  to  a  tree,  provided  the  tree  is 
planted  under  favourable  conditions,  the  more  fruit  buds  are  likely  to 
be  produced,  and  I  shall  go  on  pinching. — II.  Mitchell,  Druidstone. 
A  SUMMER  DAY  IN  NORTH  NOTTS. 
St.  -John’s  Day  !  an  old  festival  fully  observed  with  pomp  and 
ceremony  in  many  a  country  side  years  ago,  has  somewhat  fallen 
into  disuse  in  this  age  of  progress.  After  passing  the  spring  and 
early  summer  in  the  dusty  purlieus  of  a  large  town  the  longing  for 
fiesh  air  and  fair  scenes  became  unbearable.  To  think  the  wild  Roses 
were  blooming  somewhere,  that  the  meadow  grass  was  down,  that  the 
gardens  were  at  their  best,  and  we  were  missing  it  all,  it  was  not  to 
be  endured.  A  pleasant  railway  journey  through  a  flat  country  was 
soon  accomplished.  The  day  was  perfect,  showers  had  washed  the 
trees  and  refreshed  the  grass,  gentle  breezes  prevented  the  heat  of  the 
sun  being  overwhelming,  and  everything  looked  in  holiday  trim. 
Were  things  better  than  usual  really  ?  or  was  it  the  force  of  contrast  ? 
It  was  only  of  diro  necessity  we  had  left  our  country  home.  The 
town  life  was  not  of  our  choosing,  and  once  clear  of  the  town  we  felt 
new  life  in  our  veins. 
From  a  farming  point  of  view  North  Notts  may  leave  much  to 
be  desired,  from  a  picturesque  point  of  view  nothing.  What  forest 
free  do  you  admire  most — King  Charles’  Oak,  the  tall  Elm,  the 
far-spre  ding  Beech?  They  are  all  here  in  battalions;  singly  in  the 
fields  and  paiks,  majestic  in  the  avenues;  so  well  grown;  no  Mush¬ 
rooms  here,  and  just  now  the  green  is  at  its  deepest  and  best.  The 
land  in  character  is  undulating.  Many,  or  rather  all  the  hedges  were 
untrimmed,  perfect  treasuries  of  all  that  is  beautiful  There  must  be 
Briars  here  to  supply  all  the  Rose  growers  of  England.  In  half  a  mile 
how  many  different  varieties  of  Rose  you  will  come  across  ;  some 
quite  a  deep  deep  pink,  some  purely  white,  some  so  large  as  to  hint 
at  cultivation,  some  only  fit  for  fairy  garlands.  I  misdoubt  me  if  our 
vaunted  garden  dames  are  an  improvement  on  these  children  of  wood 
and  hedgerow.  The  difference  is  as  the  difference  between  a  fair  girl 
of  eighteen  and  the  matured  charms  of  a  woman  of  the  period 
Twisted  low  down  in  the  hedge  are  the  tendrils  of  the  Honey¬ 
suckle.  Modest  and  unpretentious,  yet  more  fragrant  than  all  the 
scents  of  Bond  Street.  Just  a  step  further  on  and  the  Elder  presents 
its  masses  of  creamy  bloom,  most  delicious  out  of  doors,  but 
oppressive  within  four  walls.  Who  makes  Elder-flower  wine  or 
Elder-flower  face  water  now  ?  All  these  pleasant  arts  are  lost.  Only 
a  few  old  women  even  use  the  luscious  berry  when  it  ripens  under  the 
autumn  sky,  yet  where  is  there  a  better  or  more  comforting  cordial 
than  Elder  syrup  cunningly  concocted  with  spice  and  sugar  ?  We 
are  too  fond  of  runniug  to  the  chemist  for  our  perfumes,  balsams,  and 
soothing  drinks.  We  have  lost  the  greater  part  of  our  plant  lore,  and 
are  the  worse  for  it. 
IIow  lavishly  the  Briony  spreads  her  festoons  around.  Is  she 
prettier  now,  or  when  decorated  with  strings  of  coral  berries  ?  The 
berries  are  in  perfection  as  the  leaf  falls.  You  cannot  have  both. 
There  is  not  much  Hemlock  left,  but  Ladies’  Finger  is  thick  in  the 
grass,  the  bright  yellow  making  a  charming  touch  of  colour.  In 
these  old  hedges  you  come  on  clumps  of  Privet — the  flowers  of  an 
ivory  white,  and  the  trails  of  Bramble  are  everywhere.  Forget  the 
Thorns,  or  go  with  thick  gloves,  and  you  will  find  that  sprays  of 
Bramble,  with  the  half  opened  flowers,  will  make  splendid  decoration 
for  an  >vermantle.  This  soil  must  be  peculiarly  suited  to  the  tall 
pink  Foxglove,  for  it.  is  everywhere  so  stately,  so  queenlike,  and 
withal  so  gracious.  What  child  can  resist  it !  The  posy  is  so  soon 
complete.  Bracken  and  Fern  always  accompany  it.  Where  you  find 
one,  the  other  is  sure  to  be. 
As  the  serpent  was  in  Eden,  so  among  this  beauty  lurks  the  Deadly 
Nightshade.  Even  if  one  did  not  know  of  its  fatal  qualities  it  is  a 
plant  one  instinctively  shrinks  from.  Close  at  your  feet  is  a  patch  of 
tiny  Heartsease.  How  can  the  giant  Pansy  have  been  evolved  from 
so  humble  a  beginning  ?  Quietly  the  river  flows  through  the  low- 
lying  meadow,  and  quite  unexpectedly  we  come  across  several  gracefuL 
swans,  that  give  the  necessary  life  and  animation  to  the  scene. 
The  convictions  that  filled  the  breasts  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  must 
have  been  deep  and  sincere  ere  they  would  leave  these  peaceful 
meadows  to  brave  the  unknown  dangers  of  the  North  Atlantic,  and  the 
