536 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  27,  1901. 
bunches  that  usually  show  on  each  strong  lateral  will  best  meet  the 
requirements  of  the  grower  ;  and  where  is  the  sense  of  leaving  them 
long  enough  to  need  the  assistance  of  a  knife  to  remove  them  ?  I  go 
to  the  length  of  advising  the  very  early  removal  of,  or  the  reduction  in 
size,  of  the  shoulders,  and  advocate  the  retention  of  more  bunches  than 
are  required  only  in  the  case  of  Muscats  or  other  shy-setting  varieties. 
Following  upon  the  early  topping  of  laterals  two  leaves  beyond 
the  reserved  bunch,  we  may  expect  a  moderately  strong  break  of  sub¬ 
laterals,  and  these,  again  I  say,  should  not  be  allowed  to  extend  to  the 
extent  of  requiring  a  knife  to  remove  them.  If  they  promise  to  be 
more  in  number  than  there  is  good  room  for,  thin  them  out,  stopping 
all  the  rest  beyond  the  first  leaf  each  break  makes.  Some  growers 
advocate  the  practice  of  allowing  sub-lateral  growths  to  extend  freely, 
the  idea  being  that  they  materially  assist  in  stimulating  root  action. 
I  doubt  the  value  of  this  theory,  having  far  more  faith  in  the 
good  work  done  by  fewer,  well-developed  loaves.  The  loss  of  primary 
leaves  is  most  unfortunate,  and  a  much  greater  number  of  secondary 
le ives,  as  these  formed  by  the  sub-laterals  may  be  termed,  does  not 
offer  sufficient  compensation.  This  remark  applies  with  greatest 
force  to  young  canes,  whether  these  are  produced  by  newly  planted  or 
older  Vines.  Allowing  the  laterals  on  these  to  grow  to  a  great  length 
before  they  are  topped,  in  some  instances  not  stopping  them  at 
all,  means  first  a  check  to  the  swelling  of  stems,  and  the  development 
of  primary  leaves,  while  later  on,  when  the  lateral  wood  does  begin  to 
assist  in  thickening  the  stems,  this  is  usually  followed  by  the 
dislocation  of  the  primary  leafstalks,  or  rather  that  part  attached  to 
the  stem.  How  else  are  we  to  account  for  their  flagging  and  dropping 
off  prematurely  ?  I  have  for  many  years  past  advocated  topping 
young  canes  at  about  the  height  or  length  they  are  to  be  left  when 
finally  pruned,  and  each  season  proofs  of  the  correctness  of  this 
practice  are  forthcoming.  Not  only  ought  they  to  be  thus  topped, 
but  the  laterals  and  sub-laterals  should  also  be  topped  beyond  the  first 
leaf  at  each  break.  Under  this  treatment  the  primary  leaves  do  their 
work  well,  the  stems  becoming  large  and  woody — not  sappy,  as  might 
be  imagined — while  the  buds  plump  up,  breaking  strongly,  each 
snowing  two  or  three  bunches  the  following  season. 
Then,  as  to  thinning  out,  first  the  bunches  and  afterwards  the 
berries,  I  think  there  can  be  no  two  opinions  as  to  the  unwisdom  of 
unduly  delaying  these  operations.  What  can  be  a  greater  waste  of 
vigour  than  deferring  the  final  reduction  of  bunches  till  such  times  as 
the  berries  have  either  commenced  or  are  on  the  point  of  commencing 
to  colour  ?  It  is  true  many  of  us  do  not  realise  what  a  heavy  crop  of 
bunches  have  been  left  on  tne  Vines  till  the  colouring  period  is 
reached,  but  we  pay  dearly  for  our  recklessness.  Conserve  the  strength 
of  the  Vines,  in  other  words  prevent  all  undue  waste  of  vigour,  as 
much  as  we  will,  the  Vines  are  only  equal  to  perfecting  a  certain 
weight  of  fruit,  and  the  greatest  strain  is  put  upon  them  during  the 
stoning  period.  The  final  reduction  of  bunches  ought  therefore  to 
take  place  before  the  stoning  period,  making  a  few  exceptions  in  favour 
of  known  shy  setters 
Much  that  has  been  advanced  concerning  the  Grape  Vine  also 
applies  to  Peach  and  Ntctarine  trees.  There  should  be  no  undue  delay 
in  thinning-out,  first  the  flowers  where  very  numerous  on  trees  under 
glass,  and  then  the  shoots  where  crowded.  After  the  crops  are  set  a 
further  thinning-out  of  shoots  and  fruit  is  desirable  in  many  cases,  the 
timely  topping  at  the  fifth  leaf  of  those  shoots  to  be  left  by  way  of 
nurses  for  the  fruit  naturally  favouring  the  development  of  growths 
that  are  to  be  laid  in  for  fruiting  next  season.  All  this  may  be  done, 
only  to  mar  the  good  effects  generally  by  being  too  timid  in  thinning- 
out  the  crops  finally.  There  seems  to  be  an  idea  prevalent  among 
gardeners  that  a  certain  amount  of  fruit  will  drop  either  during  or 
soon  after  the  stoning  period,  and  in  order  to  be  on  the  safe  side  many 
more  fruit  are  left  to  swell  than  it  is  intended  to  finally  ripen.  Surely 
it  cannot  be  denied  that  this  line  of  treatment  actually  tends  to  bring 
about  a  state  of  affairs  we  are  most  anxious  to  avoid.  Personally  I 
never  hesitate  to  thin-out  severely  before  the  stoning  period  is  entered 
upon.  If  any  more  fruit  need  removal  after  the  final  swelling  is 
commenced,  this  is  due  to  my  fading  to  apprecia'e  the  extent  of  the 
crop  when  the  fruit  was  comparatively  small,  and  not  because  I  was 
afraid  to  run  the  risk  of  having  a  lighter  crop  than  desirable.  If  in 
the  case  of  Grapes  the  maturation  of  the  seed  is  a  great  strain  on  the 
Vinep,  what  must  it  be  during  the  stoning  period  of  Peach  and 
Nectarines,  the  trees  in  these  instances  having  the  extra  strain  of 
forming  a  woody  covering  for  the  kernels  each  fruit  contains  ?  If, 
then,  we  want  a  full  crop  of  fully  developed  luscious  fruit,  we  must 
prevent  a  waste  of  vigour  in  the  direction  of  overcropping  at  the 
stoning  period,  which  no  amount  of  assistance  at  the  roots  seems  equal 
to  compensating  for.  It  is  towards  the  ripening  period  that  the 
ill  effects  of  too  late  thinning-out  of  the  crops  is  most  apparent,  this 
not  unfrequently  ending  in  the  production  of  much  fruit  only  fit  for 
cooking  purposes.  Much  more  might  be  said  in  this  strain,  but 
enough,  I  trust,  has  been  advanced  to  induce  inexperienced  fruit 
growers  to  adopt  more  common  sense  treatment  of  Vines  and  fruit 
trees  generally. — W.  Iggulden. 
Frnit  Prospects. 
After  the  glut  of  fruit  afford  ed  by  the  gardens  and  orchards  of 
last  year  the  natural  expectancy  would  be  one  of  a  lighter  nature  this 
year,  and  in  some  instances  this  may  be  a  true  forecast.  On  the  whole, 
however,  the  prospective  yhld  of  the  garden  is  a  very  favourable  one, 
but  rain  is  badly  needed  for  some,  and  more  particularly  Strawberries. 
The  spring  has  been  one  of  the  most  remarkable  in  the  almost  entire 
absence  of  frost,  the  flowering  period  of  all  crops  passing  in  and  out 
without  its  damaging  influence  being  felt.  It  is  some  years  since  there 
was  such  an  entire  absence,  and  to  this  is  largely  due  the  generally 
satisfactory  state  of  the  coming  season’s  crops. 
Strawberries  without  artificial  irrigation  suffered  last  season  from 
the  great  drought,  and  some  did  not  recover  entirely  from  its  effects 
by  the  action  of  the  autumn  and  winter  rains ;  others,  again,  are  as 
vigorous  and  floriferous  as  can  be  wished,  and  should  rain  come  quickly 
the  late  ones  would  give  a  full  yield.  The  earlier  plantations  are 
smaller  in  berry,  and  much  of  the  late-set  fruit  will  never  swell,  even 
to  preserving  size,  and  thus  the  percentage  of  crop  must  be  necessarily 
largely  reduced.  Young  plants  are  doing  very  well  where  they  were 
strawed  over  early  to  conserve  the  naturally  stored  moisture.  Of  these 
Laxton’s  Leader  is  maintaining  its  character,  both  for  size  and  quantity 
of  berries.  It  is  even  more  conspicuous  in  its  earliness  to  ripen. 
With  this  exception,  other  sorts  grown,  both  midseason  and  late,  seem 
resolved  on  taking  an  even  race. 
Raspberries  I  have  never  seen  to  look  more  promising,  there  being 
great  freedom  of  fruit,  and  a  vigorous  sucker  growth  advancing. 
These  are  mulched  early  in  order  to  conserve  the  winter’s  rain,  as 
they,  like  Strawberries,  are  largely  surface  rooting.  Red  Currants  do 
not  promise  so  well  as  usual,  and  the  Blacks  are  both  small  and 
thinly  set  in  the  bunches.  Probably  rain  would  mend  these  failings 
materially.  Gooseberries,  on  the  other  hand,  have  been  exceptionally 
well  laden  with  berries  above  the  average  in  size,  and  the  caterpillar, 
which  made  its  annual  attempt  to  gain  a  footing,  suffered  a  severe 
reverse  from  the  cuckoo,  who  disposed  of  them  in  a  few  morning 
meals. 
In  the  garden  large  bush  Apple  trees  are  well  laden,  so  much  so 
that^some  of  the  larger  fruiting  kinds  need  severe  thinning  to  do  them 
justice.  Sorts  that  have  a  biennial  fruiting  tendency,  si  ch  as  Stirling 
Castle,  Court  Pendu  Pi  it,  and  Cockle’s  Pippin,  are  this  year  very 
fully  cropped.  The  growth  of  the  trees,  too,  reveals  a  liking  for 
summer  weather,  and  seems  but  little  concerned  about  the  drought  that 
is  now  pinching  surface  crops  rather  hard.  This  is  in  soil  haring  a  deep 
moist  sand  bed  beneath  it.  In  the  grass  orchards  the  prospects  are 
not  so  good,  and  there  seem  to  be  hordes  of  caterpillars  perforating 
the  leaves  of  some  trees  and  kinds.  Others  are  free  from  insect  life, 
and  are  bearing  plentifully.  The  average  yield,  however,  does  not 
show  a  good  prospect. 
Pears,  like  Apples,  are  showing  well  for  an  even  orop,  and  are 
swelling  up  well  on  bush  trees;  wall  trees  have  thrown  off  a  quantity 
that  one  time  seemed  safe,  but  on  many  trees  there  is  ample  left. 
Despite  the  chilling  winds  that  have  prevailed  this  spring,  Cherries 
have  given  much  less  trouble  than  usual  in  dealing  with  black  fly,  a 
circumstance  scarcely  compatible  with  former  theories.  The  result  of 
tni8  generally  is  heavier  crops,  too  hea^y  at  present,  and  Morellos  in 
particular.  Peaches  and  Nectarines  did  not  bear  so  well  these  spring 
failings,  but  have  shown  in  their  sensitive  foliage  a  good  deal  of  curl 
and  blister.  Green  aphis,  too,  took  advantage  of  them,  but,  thanks 
to  quassia  extract,  they  were  easily  dealt  with  by  means  of  the 
indispensable  Abol  syringe.  The  crop  of  Peaches  promise  to  be  a 
full  one,  and  the  growth  of  the  trees  appreciate  the  change  of  wind 
and  weather. 
Some  of  the  Plums  are  strictly  moderate,  others  overcropped,  but 
the  latter  condition  in  garden  trees  is  easily  remedied  in  that  the 
thinnings  can  be  usefully  applied  to  culinary  purposes.  In  standard 
trees  this  is  not  so  easy,  nor  will  the  state  of  the  crop  on  standard  trees 
call  for  such  attention,  where  last  year  the  yield  was  so  heavy.  They 
need,  and|seem  to  take  lor  themselves,  a  rest  to  recoup  after  the  heavy 
burden  of  last  season.  Apricots,  like  Plums,  are  lighter  than  last 
year,  though  there  is  a  fair  average  promised,  and  the  lesser  numbers 
should  insure  finer  fruit.  Medlars  and  Quinces  flowered  freely,  and 
Nuts  and  Filberts  promise  well. 
Absence  of  rain  is  the  common  plaint  of  gardeners,  and  at  the 
time  of  writing  the  prospects  are  not  more  assuring  than  it  has  been 
for  a  month  past.  Up  to  the  end  of  May  we  are  over  2  inches  short 
of  last  year’s  total  for  the  same  period,  though  the  fall  in  May  was 
quite  up  to  the  average  by  measure.  Searching  winds  and  hot  sun, 
however,  had  a  counteracting  influence  when  jointly  attending  a 
lengthened  drought.  Judging  by  the  quantity  of  queen  wasps 
seen,  there  is  trouble  in  prospect  for  the  fruit  grower  this  year-. 
— W.  S.,  Wilts. 
