August  6,  1903. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
137 
K  WOKK.FOfi.THEWEE 
K..Q 
Hardy  Fruit  Garden. 
STRAWBERRIES :  PLANTING. — Early  rooted  runners 
may  now  be  transferred  to  permanent  positions  where  they  can 
scon  take  root  and  make  progress,  forming  bold  crowns  by  the 
close  of  the  autumn,  or  the  end  of  the  growing  period.  These 
will  thus  stand  a  fair  chance  of  fruiting  well  next  season.  This 
is  the  main  object  of  early  planting,  but  it  cannot  be  achieved 
unless  the  runners  have  been  specially  prepared  by  taking 
them  in  hand  some  weeks  since,  and  inducing  them  to  root  into 
small  pots,  from  which  they  may  be  readily  turned  with  a  good 
ball  of  roots  and  soil,  which  should  not  be  so  pot-bound  as  to 
need  much  disturbance,  other  than  loosening  some  of  the  lower 
rootlets.  Previous  to  planting  the  soil  must  be  kept  moist ; 
indeed,  from  the  time  of  securing  the  runners  on  the  soil  sur¬ 
face,  moisture  must  never  be  wanting.  The  ground  must  be 
well  prepared  by  digging  deeply  and  enriching  rvith  manure, 
well  incorporated,  finally  making  it  firm  previous  to  placing  out 
the  plants.  Plant  in  rows  not  less  than  2ft  apart,  the  i^lants 
being  15in  to  18in  a.sunder.  Insert  them,  if  possible,  when  the 
surface  soil  is  dry ;  the  work  is  then  carried  out  much  more 
readily  and  the  soil  made  firm  about  them.  A  few  applications 
of  water,  as  necessary,  must  be  supplied  until  the  plants  are 
established. 
TREATMENT  OF  ESTABLISHED  BEDS.— Having  made 
provision  for  securing  all  the  runners  required  either  by  layer¬ 
ing  into  small  pots  or  into  the  soil  between  the  rows,  the  rest 
should  be  regarded  as  superfluous,  and  the  sooner  they  are  cut 
off  the  better.  With  the  presence  of  runners  it  is  impossible 
to  keep  down  weeds.  The  removal  of  both  may  be  effected, 
thus  affording  plenty  of  light  and  air  to  the  main  planks,  and 
the  .soil  freed  of  growths,  which  tend  to  exhaust  the  nutriment 
in  it.  Beds  of  plants  which  have  been  longer  than  three  years 
on  the  ground  ought  not  to  be  retained.  Spring  planted  beds 
ought  to  have  the  runners  removed  early. 
SUMMER  PRUNING. — Many  fniit  growers  favour  the  pre¬ 
sent  time  rather  than  an  earlier  pei’iod  for  the  work  of  shorten¬ 
ing  the  side  or  foreright  .shoots  of  trained  trees.  The  advantages 
of  earlj^  Augmst  pruning  are  the  more  mature  condition  of  the 
shoots,  whereby,  after  the  shortening,  there  is  not  the  possi¬ 
bility  of  seconclary  growth  from  the  lower  buds.  Should  there 
be  any  it  will  take  place  from  the  upper  buds,  a  length  of 
shoot  containing  four  to  six  leaves  being  left.  The  leading 
shoots  of  bush  and  pyramid  trees  must  not  have  more  than  one- 
third  removed.  Bush  and  pyramid,  wall  and  espalier  Apples, 
Pears,  and  Plums  may  be  dealt  with.  Besides  shortening, 
summer  pruning  may  consist  of  thinning  out,  for  where  shoots 
are  crowded  it  is  obviously  of  advantage  to  give  relief  by  re¬ 
moving  the  least  nece.ssary.  After  crops  of  fruit  have  been 
gathered  there  will  be  on  trees  that  bear  fruit  on  the  annual 
wood  shoots  to  be  dispensed  with.  These  may  usually  be  cut 
cut,  their  place  taken  with  successional  shoots,  while  weakly 
or  any  for  which  room  cannot  be  found  may  be  cut  out  also. 
Peaches,  Nectarines,  and  Morello  Cherries  may  be  dealt  with 
in  this  manner.  Sucker  growth  of  any  kind  springing  from  the 
roots  of  wall  or  trees  in  the  open  must  be  cut  out. 
THINNING  FRUIT. — The  advantages  following  on  the  thin¬ 
ning  of  fruit  are  usually  on  the  side  of  larger  fruits  of  superior 
quality  on  the  one  hand,  while  on  the  other  the  trees  are 
afforded  a  welcome  relief  from  carrying  an  overburdening  crop 
should  they  be  at  all  old  or  tending  to  lessened  vigour.  The 
developing  and  perfecting  of  a  crop  of  fruit  tells  largely  upon 
all  trees,  and  the  aim  of  the  grower  must  be  to  balance  as 
equally  as  possible  the  production  of  healthy  wood,  at  the 
same  time  benefiting  the  fruit.  Trees  or  bushes  in  the  first 
flush  of  vigour  may  be  allowed  to  carry  more  fruit  than  an 
older  specimen,  because  they  are  able  to  do  justice  to  a  larger 
number,  and  at  the  same  time  curb  the  exuberance  of  wood 
production.  There  is  still  time  to  lessen  the  number  of  fruits 
on  all  trees  which  ripen  their  crops  in  autumn.  Stone  fruits 
are  esijecially  benefited  by  judicious  thinning,  leaving,  as  a 
rule,  one  fruit  to  each  square  foot  on  Peaches  and  Nectarines. 
Heavy  bunches  of  Plums  should  have  the  fruits  reduced  in 
number,  while  to  have  fine  and  well  coloured  Apples  and  Pears 
one  fruit  to  a  spur  is  sufficient.  Ill-placed  or  deformed  fruits 
should  be  noted  at  an  early  stage  and  removed. 
SUMMER  thinning'  RASPBERRIES.— Raspberry  stools 
usually  produce  a  larger  number  of  canes  than  it  is  desirable 
to  retain.  A  selection,  therefore,  ought  to  be  made  of  the 
most  suitable  young  canes  for  future  fruiting.  Four  to  six  will 
be  found  to  be  ample,  these  being  of  medium  to  strong  vigour, 
the  rest  being  cut  out.  The  crop  of  fruit  from  the  old  canes 
having  also  been  gathered,  these  are  of  no  further  use,  and 
must  be  removed.  Short  sucker  groAvths  round  the  stools  fork 
out,  but  those  at  a  distance  away  may  remain,  if  canes  are 
likely  to  be  wanted  for  new  plantations.  At  present  train  in  no 
canes  to  the  wires  or  .stakes,  as  they  will  ripen  much  more 
readily  by  hanging  free,  so  that  sun  and  air  can  circulate  among 
them. — East  Kent. 
Fruit  Forcing. 
CHERRY  HOI'SE.— The  trees  are  now  ripe  in  wood  and 
plump  in  bud.  The  leaves,  too,  will  not  be  capable  of  much 
further  effort  in  elaborating  the  sap  and  storing  food  in  the 
adjacent  buds  and  wood,  therefore  any  undue  excitement  will 
cause  the  trees  to  start  into  growth,  which  must  be  guarded 
agaimst  by  exposing  the  trees  to  atmospheric  influence  as  far  as 
the  house  will  admit.  The  border  must  not  be  allowed  to 
become  dry,  but  have  copious  supplies  of  water,  and  if  the  trees 
are  weak  afford  licpiid  manure.  To  subdue  red  spider  give  an 
occasional  washing  with  the  garden  engine  or  syringe,  but  by 
all  means  remove  the  roof  lights,  the  cleansing  influence  of 
rain  and  invigorating  tendency  of  dew,  with  the  thorough 
moistening  of  the  border,  having  a  beneficial  effect.  Black 
aphides  are  very  troublesome  on  the  young  growths  of  Cherry 
trees,  but  the  leaves  and  wood  of  this  season,  from  their  hard 
texture,  are  not  inviting  to  them  ;  yet  if  they  appear  promptly 
use  tobacco  water,  the  narcotic  being  fatal  to  these  hard-to-be- 
killed  insects.  Cherry  trees  in  pots  are  the  most  intereisting  of 
all  fruits  grown  that  way,  and  offer  a  variety  and  afford  fruit 
over  a  long  period,  that  it  is  remarkable  they  are  not  more 
generally  grown.  With  slight  forcing  they  ripen  to  fruit  in 
May ;  in  unheated  houses  the  fruit  ripens  in  June.  Trees  in 
pots  must  be  regularly  watered  and  syringed  to  maintain  them 
in  health. 
PEACHES  AND  NECTARINES:  EARLIEST  FORCED 
TREES. — In  houses  started  in  December  or  January  the  trees 
will  soon  part  with  some  of  the  foliage,  but  it  must  not  be 
accelerated  by  the  roots  being  deprived  of  moisture,  for  it  is 
imperative  that  the  soil  be  kept  moist,  yet  not  saturated. 
Dryness  will  cause  the  buds  to  drop,  and  soddenness  of  soil  in¬ 
duce  premature  growth,  both  of  which  must  be  guarded  against. 
As  a  safeguard  against  starting  the  buds,  allow,  such  lateral 
exten.sion  as  is  necessary  to  appropriate  any  excess  of  sap,  a 
few  green  laterals  doing  that  perfectly.  Early  forced  trees  do 
not  usually  make  .strong  growths,  and  they  form  far  too  many 
blossom  buds ;  therefore  the  pruning  needs  to  be  carefully  per¬ 
formed,  as  many  shoots  are  mainly  studded  with  that  descrip¬ 
tion  of  buds,  with  wood  buds  at  the  ba.se  and  extremity  only, 
and  it  is  nece.ssary  to  retain  a  wood  bud  at  the  latter  point,  not 
cutting  back  next  year’s  bearing  wood  unless  the  shoots  are  of 
great  length,  and  then  to  a  wood  bud. 
W^here  disbudding  has  been  properly  attended  to,  no  more 
wood  being  retained  than  is  required  to  replace  the  bearing 
shoots  of  the  current  year  and  to  renew  worn-out  growths,  as 
well  as  to  .supply  the  wood  for  extending  the  trees,  very  little 
pruning  will  be  needed.  Weakly  trees  require  the  smaller 
growths  cut  cut,  so  as  to  impart  more  vigour  to  those  retained, 
for  the  weak  shoots  afford  much  smaller  fruit  than  the  mode¬ 
rately  vigorous  and  well-ripened  growths.  Some  trees  grow  too 
vigorously,  and  must  be  lifted  to  induce  a  sturdy  fruitful  habit. 
Weakly  trees  should  have  the  old  soil  carefully  removed  from 
amongst  the  roots,  supplying  loam  of  a  calcareo-argillaceous 
nature.  Give  a  good  watering  both  to  the  lifted  trees  and  to 
those  that  have  had  the  soil  renewed  about  the  roots.  These 
operations  require  to  be  performed  as  soon  as  the  leaves  are 
mature,  and  before  they  fall  from  the  trees,  syringing  the  latter 
and  .shading  whilst  the  work  is  in  progress,  and  for  a  few  days 
afterwards  if  the  weather  is  bright. 
SUCCESSION  HOUSES. — As  the  fruit  is  cleared  from  indi¬ 
vidual  trees  cut  away  the  shoots  that  have  borne  fruit  unless 
required  for  extension,  and  all  the  shoots  where  the  growths 
are  too  crowded  should  be  thinned.  This  will  allow  of  cleansing 
operations  being  more  effectively  performed,  it  being  imperative 
that  the  foliage  be  kept  clean  and  healthy.  With  the  free 
access  of  light  and  air  the  buds  will  form  perfectly,  and  the 
wood  ripen  thoroughly,  provided  attention  is  given  to  a  due 
supply  of  w’ater  at  the  roots.  The  house  will  need  ventilation 
day  and  night,  and  where  the  roof  lights  are  movable  and  the 
trees  not  very  vigorous  they  may  be  removed  when  the  buds  are 
plumped.  Where  the  fruit  is  ripening  a  free  circulation  of  air 
will  enhance  the  quality  considerably,  supplying  sufficient  water 
to  keep  the  foliage  in  good  condition,  and  securing  air  moisture 
by  damping  the  paths  and  border  in  the  morning  and  afternoon, 
as  an  arid  atmosphere  favours  thrips  and  red  spider  and  the  pre¬ 
mature  ripening  of  the  foliage.  Dryness  at  the  roots  also 
favours  these  pe.sts,  tends  to  the  fruit  ripening  unduly,  and 
may  render  it  mealy  and  flavourless.  A  slight  shade  is  some¬ 
times  beneficial  when  the  .sun  is  powerful  and  the  apex  of  the 
fruit  fully  exposed  to  its  rays  beneath  large  panes  of  glass,  to 
prevent  the  fruit  ripening  too  quickly  and  becoming  discoloured 
at  the  apex,  or  when  it  ripens  in  excess  of  the  demand.  Ants 
are  sometimes  very  troublesome  on  such  fruits,  especially  Nec- 
