March  19,  1903. 
259 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
WOKIIfoktheWEEK. 
Hardy  Fruit  Garden. 
PRUNING  FIG  TREKS. — The  proper  time  to  prune  outdoor 
Fig  trees  is  after  the  winter  is  past,  and  there  is  less  chance  of 
frost  injuring  the  wood,  as  Figs  are  rather  susceiJtible  to  injury 
in  this  manner,  this  being  the  main  reason  wliy  spring  pruning 
is  preferable  to  earlier  treatment.  Towards  the  end  of  summer, 
should  the  growths  be  crowded,  sufficient  thinning  may  be 
practised  in  order  to  thoi’oughly  ripen  the  shoots,  which  renders 
them  better  able  to  withstand  the  rigours  of  winter.  The  first 
process  in  pruning  may  consist  in  clearing  out  old,  useless,  super¬ 
fluous  wood  or  branches.  Long-jointed,  naked  wood  is  practi¬ 
cally  unsuitable.  Thick  and  sappy  shoots  are  not  desirable,  and 
too  much  of  the  old  bearing  growths  should  not  be  permitted. 
Figs  bear  fruits  at  the  points  or  towards  the  points  of  young 
shoots,  and  a  judicious  selection  of  these  must  be  made,  leaving 
them  at  full  length.  Neither  the  very  weakest  nor  the  very, 
strongest  are  the  most  fruitful,  but  those  of  medium  strength, 
these  possessing  all  the  best  characteristics.  As  far  as  possible, 
distribute  them  evenly  over  the  trees.  When  nailed  or  tied  in 
they  ought  not  to  be  closer  than  Gin  or  Gin,  Figs,  as  a  rule,  pro¬ 
ducing  large  leaves.  Any  young  shoots  which  have  been  injured 
by  frost  or  other  causes  must  either  be  cut  out  entirely,  or 
the  dead  tips  removed. 
PLANTING  FRUIT  TREES. — The  last  opportunities  before 
active  growth  in  all  trees  takes  place  should  be  taken  to  plant 
fruit  trees  in  the  open  and  against,  walls.  The  present  time  isi 
one  of  the  best  periods  as  regards  the  suitable  condition  of  the 
soil,  especially  if  the  gi'ound  was  broken  up  and  exposed  in. 
autumn,  as  by  now  it  will  be  ameliorated,  mellowed,  and  com¬ 
paratively  dry  after  the  rough,  drying  winds  of  the  month  have 
acted  upon  it.  Mark  out  the  proper  distances,  and  take  out 
wide  and  .shallow  holes.  Most  kinds  and  forms  of  fruit  trees,  if 
not  too  large,  which  involves  the  disturbance  of  a  large  number 
of  strong  roots,  may  be  ijlanted.  Large  trees  may  be  moved; 
with  comparative  success  if  a  ball  of  root.s  and  soil  can  be| 
ensured  ;  but  this  is  not  pos.sible  when  the  trees  have  to  travel 
a  distance.  E.ssentials  to  success  consist  in  careful  pruning  of 
damaged  roots,  laying  them  out  evenly  and  at  full  length,  cover¬ 
ing  them  between  layers  of  fine  soil  and  not  burying  deepl3'.  Tall 
standards  should  be  staked  at  once,  fixing  a  stake  firmly  in  the 
soil  by  the  side  of  the  stem  without  damaging  the  roots.  Wind 
some  protecting  material  round  the  stem,  such  as  straw  or  canva.s, 
and  secure  the  .stem  and  stake  together  rvith  stout  cord  or  copper 
wire.  All  trees  .should  be  at  once  labelled  with  the  variet3%  im¬ 
perishable  zinc  labels  being  the  best.  A  Light  mulching  of  loo.se 
material  round  the  trees  will  at  once  serve  to  cheek  rapid  evapo¬ 
ration  of  moisture,  while  admitting  warmth  to  the  soil.  The 
details  of  planting  and  treatment  also  apply  to  wall  trees,  but  do 
not  .secure  the  branches  permanently  to  the  wall  at  first. 
PRI  CING  AND  TRAINING  AIITUMN  PLANTED  TREES. 
— The  pruning  or  shortening  back  of  the  branches  of  newly-planted 
trees,  whether  inserted  in  autumn  or  spring,  does  not  always 
receive  the  attention  it  should,  and  the  result  is  unsatisfactory 
growth.  It  is  usually  desirable  that  good  wood  growth  .should 
follow'  the  first  season  after  planting,  and  this  cannot  be  depended 
upon  unless  the  sap  is  concentrated  upon  a  less  amount  of  wood 
than  is  the  case  when  pruning  is  not  adopted.  Shorten  the  shoots 
to  prominent  wood  buds,  pointing  in  the  direction  the  growth 
should  take.  The  resulting  growths,  providing  the  new  roots  are 
produced  freelj',  will  be  strong,  clean,  and  firm. 
STRAWBERRY  BEDS  IN  SPRING.— Withered  and  dis¬ 
coloured  foliage  attached  to  old  plants  in  beds  and  quarters  of 
Strawberries,  together  with  the  undecajmd  remains  of  the 
autumn  mulching,  may  be  removed.  If  the  ground  is  compara- 
tivel.v  clean,  w'eeds,  other  than  annual  seedling  weeds,  will  not 
appear.  These  maj'  be  hoed  down  or  buried  under  a  spring 
mulching  of  manure,  which  may  be  applied  now.  It  may  con¬ 
sist  of  equal  parts  of  long  and  short  manure  laid  between  and 
round  the  plants.  Previous  to  its  application  dust  the  plants 
I’ound  with  soot,  this  proving  of  value  as  a  fertiliser  suited  to  the 
needs  of  the  season,  namel.y,  affording  nitrogenous  food.  In 
dry  soils  nitrate  of  soda  is  a.  good  artificial  manure  for  Straw¬ 
berries,  applying  it  now  at  the  rate  of  21b  per  rod.  Crush  the 
ci\vstals  as  fine  as  possible  before  spreading  them. 
PROTECTING  WALL  TREES. — Peaches,  Nectarines  and 
Plums  are,  on  various  wall  aspects,  just  expanding  their  blooms. 
Protection  should  be  at  hand,  in  fact,  in  readiness  for  quickly 
covering  the  tree.s,  for  ju,st  at  a,  critical  time  a  more  than  usuaJIy 
severe  frost  maj^  occur,  or  cold  driving  wind.s  with  showers  of 
rain  beat  against  the  blooms,  and  render  the  essential  organs  of 
the  blooms  useles.s  before  they  have  performed  their  important 
functions.  If  a  permanent  protection,  that  is,  one  not  needing 
dail.y  removal,  is  desirable,  emploj'  tanned  fish  netting,  hung 
several  thicknesses.  A  temporary  arrangement  can  easily  be  con¬ 
structed  whereby  tiffany  or  wool  netting  may  be  readily  moved 
backwards  and  forwards,,  or  up  and  down,  this  giving  the  trees 
the  full  advantage  of  light  and  air. — East  Kent. 
Fruit  Forcing. 
PEACHES  AND  NECTARINES:  EARLIESf  FORCED 
HOUSE. — Where  Peaches,  such  as  Alexander,  Waterloo,  Early 
Beatrice,  and  Early  Louise  Peache,s,  with  Advance  and  C’ardinal 
Nectarines  have  been  started  in  December,  and  brought  on  under 
safe  conditions  in  respect  to  temperature,  the.v  will  now  have 
completed  stoning,  and  after  this  there  is  little  danger  of  the 
fruit  dropping,  provided  the  trees  are  properly  supplied  with 
water  and  nourishment  at  the  roots,  the  foliage  kept  clean 
by  syringing,  and  proper  moisture  maintained  in  the  atmo.sphere. 
If  there  be  any  deficiency  in  these  respects,  and  the  ventilation  be 
.such  as  to  cause  checks,  the  fruit  may  ripen  prematurelj' — that  is, 
not  cO'iuplete  the  final  .swelling  properljq  turning  soft  and  drop¬ 
ping,  the  quality  being  very  inferior,  as  also  is  the  appearance  of 
the  fruit.  When  the  fruit  is  placed  at  a  disadvantage  for  receiv¬ 
ing  light,  bring  it  round  so  that  the  light  will  fall  on  the  apex, 
.supporting  it  by  laths  placed  acro.ss  the  wires  of  the  trellis,  or, 
otherwise,  draw  aside  or  remove  overshadowing  leaves.  Keep 
laterals  closely  pinched,  and  stop  overgrowing  shoots.  xV  tem¬ 
perature  of  GOdeg  to  G.odeg  at  night,  and  70deg  to  Todeg  by  day, 
with  lOdeg  to  l.odeg  rise  from  .sun  heat,  will  be  neces.sary  to  have 
the  fruit  ripe  at  the  close  of  April  or  early  in  Mav. 
HOUSES  STARTED  EARLY  IN  FEBRUARY.— The  trees 
are  a  “  sight,”  in  some  cases  “  pictures  of  beauty,”  in  other  ca.ses 
the  floor  is  .strewn  with  dropped  blossoms,  and  there  is  a  strange 
reflection  on  the  face  of  the  cultivator.  The  flowers  in  one 
instance  ai*e  perfect,  in  the  other  the  pistillate  organs  are  defec¬ 
tive;  but  the  staminate  are  laden  with  pollen.  This  is  the  effect 
of  some  cause,  and  in  most  cases  traceable  to  a  deficiencj'  of  sul¬ 
phur  and  phosphorus,  that  means  lack  of  sulphate  and  phosphate 
in  the  soil,  and  the.se  are  best  .supplied  in  the  form  of  .sulphate  of 
potash  and  .superpho.sphate  of  lime,  say  five  parts  dissolved  bones 
dry  and  crumbling  and  two-and-a-half  parts  double  sulphate  of 
potash  and  magnesia  (refined  kainit)  mixed,  apijljdng  4oz  of  the 
mixture  per  square  yard,  and  pointing  in  lightl.v.  Where  tliere 
5eakales :  (i)  Lily  White. 
(2)  Beddard’s  Improved. 
(3)  Purple 
J.  1'.  .1-  s. 
