404 
May  7,  1903. 
JUOUXAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AXD  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
Unproductive  Fruit  Trees. 
(Continued  from  page  doG.) 
Soiiieliuies  the  excessive  vigour  of  growth  is  caused  by 
the  tree  being  cut  hard  back  every  winter  in  the  attempt  to 
keep  the  tree  to  a  certain  size.  This  is  a  great  mistake, 
for  if  the  tree  be  kept  to  a  certain  size, — a  size 
not  natural  to  the  variety  treated— it  can  only  be 
clone  by  annual  or  biennial  root-pruning,  or  even  lifting 
every  alternate  year  to  keep  the  tree  restricted  in  growth. 
The  best  remedy  for  trees  that  have  been  cut  back  in  this 
way  is  to  let  them  have  their  own  way  in  the  matter  of 
growth  for  a  season.  The  young  growth  of  the  summer, 
instead  of  being  cut  back  to  two  or  three  buds  as  it  has 
■been  for  years,  should  be  only  just  tipped,  any  shoot  for 
which  there  is  not  room  being  cut  out  altogether.  The 
result  will  be  that  fruit  buds  will  be  formed  the  following 
season  along  almost  the  entire  length  of  the  shoots  thus  left 
practically  their  whole  length.  With  trees  on  walls  there  is 
not  often  room  for  carrying  out  this  method,  and  where 
trees  have  been  allowed  to  become  so  vigorous,  and  there  is 
little  room  for  extension,  root-pruning  as  described  for  the 
bushes  is  the  only  course  to  pursue,  the  trench  being  semi¬ 
circular,  with  a  radius  of  2ft  to  3ft  from  the  stem.  When 
trees  have  been  got  into  a  fruitful  condition  judicious 
summer  pinching  will  check  any  undue  exuberance  ;  but 
to  get  trees  into  this  condition  when  they,  have  been 
allowed  to  get  into  a  very  weak  state  summer  pinching  is 
often  ineft'ectual,  and  in  any  case  would  need  a  longer  time 
to  accomplish  the  same  object. 
It  is  common  enough  for  trees  to  be  unfruitful  through 
lack  of  vigour.  This  may  arise  from  the  trees  being  planted 
too  deeply,  so  that  the  roots  get  no  air,  or  are  growing  in  a 
wet  or  otherwise  unsuitable  medium.  The  only  thing  to  do 
in  such  a  case  is  to  take  the  tree  up  and  replant  it  at  the 
proper  level,  that  is,  with  the  upper  roots  not  more  than 
4in  or  5in  from  the  surface.  The  way  to  find  out  if  the  tree 
is  plantedv  too  deeply  is  to  remove  the  earth  around  the 
stem,  and  if  no  root  fibres  are  encountered  for  the  better 
part  of  1ft  it  may  safely  be  assumed  that  is  too  deep.  If 
the  replanting  is  done  carefully,  the  roots  sjaread  out  near 
the  surface,  a  mulching  of  strong  manure  put  over  the  sod 
as  far  as  the  roots  extend,  and  this  kept  moist  the  summer 
following,  the  whole  character  of  the  tree  will  be  changed 
in  one  season — healthy,  dark-green  foliage  with  plentiful 
formation  of  fruit  buds.  If  the  trees  are  too  large  to  treat 
in  this  way  there  is  nothing  for  it  but  to  destroy  them,  as 
they  will  never  pay  for  the  ground  they  occupy,  though  I 
have  heard  of  quite  large  trees  ,  being  treated  in  the  way 
recommended  above.  The  method  adopted  was  the  making 
of  a  wide  trench  all  round  the  tree  of  a  sufficient  depth,  and 
undermining  the  tree  so  that  planks  could  be  i^ut  under¬ 
neath  the  whole  mass  of  soil  in  which  the  tree  was  growing, 
this  being  bodily  raised  and  earth  rammed  underneath, 
after  which  the  planks,  were  withdrawn  with  very  little  dis¬ 
turbance  of  the  root-containing  earth.  There  is  probably 
no  more  common  error  into  which  inexperienced  gardeners 
fall  when  planting  trees  than  that  of  planting  too  deeply, 
as  they  do  not  allow  either  for  the  sinking  of  the  earth  and 
roots  together  as  the  soil  is  trodden  in  after  the  hole  is 
filled  up,  or  for  the  subsidence  caused  by  the  winter  rains 
when  the  soil  has  been  loosened  to  a  good  depth  previously 
to  planting,  as  it  always  should  be.  Trees  that  have  been 
such  a  ma.ss  of  canker  that  it  seemed  there  was  nothing  for 
it  but  to  root  them  out  and  burn  them,  have  been  restored 
to  a  perfectly  healthy  condition  by  being  taken  up  as  de¬ 
scribed  above. 
The  lack  of  vigour  may  be,  and  often  is,  owing  to  the 
diseased  state  of  the  tree.  Such  trees  may  be  seen  com¬ 
monly  in  orchards  and  gardens  all  over  the  country — the 
bark  covered  with  moss  and  lichen,  and  if  a  piece  of  it  is 
pulled  away  nests  of  insect  pests  are  disclosed,  while  little 
heaps  of  sawdust  may  be  seen  lodging  on  the  rough  sur¬ 
faces  of  the  bark,  these  being  caused  by  various  maggots 
and  grubs  which  live  in  tunnels  in  the  heart-wood  of  the 
tree.  Such  trees  need,  and  will  usually  pay  for,  a  thorough 
cleaning.  Mats,  or  sacking  of  some  sort,  should  be  spread 
over  the  ground  round  the  stem  of  the  trees,  and  the  bark 
of  the  stem  and  larger  branches  should  be  scraped  with  a 
proper  bark  scraper,  or  with  anything  handy  that  will  serve 
the  purpose— a  piece  of  iron  hoop  is  as  good  as  anything — 
and  the  scrapings  collected  and  burned.  Then  the  trees 
should  be  sprayed  with  a  caustic  solution,  which  will  clear 
off  all  the  mossy  and  lichenous  growths,  and  destroy  any 
vermin  it  touches,  as  well  as  most  of  their  eggs.  Where 
the  trees  are  in  grass,  or  vegetables  are  underneath,  they 
cannot  very  w'ell  be  sprayed  with  such  a  solution,  as  it  is 
fatal  to  herbage  of  any  sort  unless  done  with  great  care 
with  a  very  fine  spray.  In  such  cases  the  alternative  is  to 
apply  a  solution  of  brine  to  the  stems  and  larger  branches 
by  means  of  a  good-sized  paint  brush,  which  will  be  quite 
as  effective,  and  will  not  use  so  much  solution  as  the  spray¬ 
ing  method.  The  vermin  in  tire  tunnels  cannot  be  got  at 
by  sprajdng,  scrubbing,  or  scraping,  and  the  best  thing  to 
do  is  to  stop  up  the  holes  with  grafting  wax,  and  so  suffo¬ 
cate  them.  At  the  same  time  all  weak  and  exhausted  wood 
should  be  cut  out,  so  that  plenty  of  sun  and  air  may  get  to 
all  parts  of  the  tree.  One  year  will  show'  a  great  difference 
in  a  tree  after  being  subjected  to  this  treatment,  and  the 
second  year  there  should  be  a  cro^o  of  fruit  to  reward  the 
owner.— A  Petts. 
(To  be  concluded.) 
Strawberries  in  Pots. 
Forcers  of  Straw'berries  find  red  spider  appear  about  this 
time  on  Strawberries  in  vinenes  and  Peach  houses,  and  the 
pests  soon  spread  to  the  Vines  and  Peach  trees;  therefore 
the  tiling  is  to  get  off  the  fruit  as  soon  as  possible,  and'  clear 
the  plants  out.  Another  difficulty  is  to  maintain  a  succession 
of  fruit  under  such  circumstances,,  this  needing  considerable 
tact  and  arrangement,  so  as  to  have  an  unbroken  succession. 
Chops  that  are  ripening  too  fast  inay  be  retarded  in  various 
ways  for  several  days  in  case  an  extra  supply  is  needed  for 
particular  occasions.  The  expedients  are  turning  the  plants  so 
that  the  fruits  will  be  from  the  sun,  shifting  to  a  north 
house,  or  removing  to  an  airy  fruit  room  or  shed  after  the 
fruits  are  nearly  fully  ripe.  Much  may'  be  done  by  judicious 
management.  Plants  can  be  accommodated  in  cold  or  low- 
heated  pits,  and  if  they  have  the  pots  plunged  in  ashes  with 
the  plants  well  up  to  the  glass,  but  the  leaves  not  touching,  or 
room  left  for  a  circulation  of  air  to  play  between  the  glass  and 
the  leaves,  will  make  sturdy  development,  and  the  forwardest 
plants  from  these  structures  can  ahvays  be  picked  to  take  the 
place  of  those  that  have  the  frait  ripe  and  ripening.  Supply 
liciuid  manure  at  every  alternate  watering  to  plants  swelling 
their  crops,  but  care  must  be  taken  not  to  give  it  too  strong, 
and  not  spill  it  on  the  fruit. — A. 
Double  Garden  Anemones. 
Anemone  coronaria  and  its  varieties,  or  the  Poppy  Anemone, 
as  this  is  popularly  called,  has  given  rise  to  a  large  number  of 
varieties,  rmry  varied  in  colouring  and  of  much  utility  for  spring 
bedding  in  warm  soils  and  sheltered  gardens'.  February  is  some¬ 
times  chosen  as  the  time  for  planting,  the  tubers  being  set  among 
sand,  if  the  soil  is  not  naturally  of  that  inclination.  Take  care 
that  the  tubers  are  placed  the  right  side  up,  by  observing  the  side 
with  the  old  small  fibres  on  it,  this  being  placed  undermo.st.  In 
wet  summers  it  is  difficult  to  have  the  tubers  sufficiently  at  rest 
for  lifting  and  storing.  To  induce  a  irerfect  state  of  rest  the  bed 
should  be  covered,  soon  after  the  blooms  have  all  withered,  wdth 
canvas  or  mats.  When  the  leaves  are  quite  yellow  take  up  the 
tubers. 
I  am  sending  you  some  of  my  St.  Bridgid  Anemones,  which  I 
originally  obtained  from  Irelancl,  and  have  been  cross  fertilising 
for  years.  They  must  be  seen  open  in  the  sunshine  to  appear 
at  their  best.  I  will  look  in  the  columns  of  your  valuable 
paper  to  see  what  your  opinion  is. — Isabel  BulaIek,  Credenhirll 
Rectory,  Hereford. 
[The  flowers  arc  exceedingly  good,  and  quite  equal  to  the 
famous  Alderborough  strain  exhibited  at  some  of  the  leading 
J'lngli.sh  shows  by  Messrs.  Reamsbottom  and  Co.,  of  Geashill, 
King’s  County,  Ireland.  You  will  be  pleased  to  see  our  present 
notice  cf  these  lovelj'  flowers,  which  might  with  advantage  be 
more  liberally  cultivated. — Ed.] 
