Page images
PDF
EPUB
[graphic][subsumed][subsumed][merged small][merged small][merged small]

ALPINE AURICULAS.

WITH AN ILLUSTRATION.

THE class of Alpine Auriculas has not hitherto been highly estimated by florists; but the beautiful varieties which Mr. Turner has within the last year or two made public will probably gain for them a higher position and greater consideration. Certainly they will be appreciated by the flower-loving public.

The two varieties we now figure give a good idea of the highly ornamental and varied character of these Alpine Auriculas, which are of the easiest culture, and perfectly hardy so far as the temperature of our winters is concerned. They only require shelter from excessive rain. They are among the most beautiful of spring flowers.

M.

[ocr errors]

OUR FRUIT CROPS.

AFTER a very cold and unfavourable spring the prospects of a fruit crop are very cheering. With, perhaps, the exception of Peach trees, the wood of most trees got well ripened last season, and, in consequence, there has been a great deal of blossom this season. Apricot trees were very full of bloom, and, owing to the mildness of the winter, some of the early blooms began to expand in February, but were destroyed by the snow and frost that set in in the beginning of March. The very cold weather that continued throughout March retarded the opening of the flowers, and was unfavourable to their setting; but, notwithstanding, the crop is a very fair one. Peach and Nectarine trees were denuded of their foliage early in September by the numbers of aphides that infested them. The wood and buds, especially the strong wood, did not in consequence get properly matured. In general, there was plenty of bloom on the trees, but much of it fell off without setting, being, no doubt, imperfect from the unripened state of the wood. Some of the trees here which had the best ripened wood have set their blossom well; whilst others, with stronger wood, and which were full of bloom, have set very few fruit.

I fear Peaches and Nectarines on the open walls will not be a full crop. The trees have broken well, and are making fine healthy young shoots. Pears will be a very heavy crop in general. Cherries and Plums also will be good crops. The Apple trees have been very beautiful, and I think the crop will be a plentiful one. Gooseberries, Currants, and Raspberries will bear very plentiful crops. Crops of all kinds are backward, owing to the very dull, cold, unfavourable weather we have had for many weeks.

The Strawberry crops, from present appearances, will, I believe, prove to be very deficient. The plants did not recover from the long continuance of hot dry weather we had last summer. Some sorts suffered much more than others. Sir Harry promises to be the fullest crop here this season, as it was last. I have some young plants of British Queen that promise to be pretty good; the old plantations look only indifferent. Keens' Seedling will be much better than last season. Oscar looks well. Of Trollope's Victoria the plants are fine, but are not showing much bloom. Sir Charles Napier looks tolerably well; the plants are very good, but the trusses are not very plentiful. Jucunda was good last year, and promises to be equally good this season. The plants are fine, and the trusses plentiful. It seems to be a good strong grower, of hardy habit. Should it do as well as its present appearance seems to warrant, I will feel inclined to increase my stock of it. Eltons do very well here; I never saw them better anywhere else. I had a fine crop of them last year, though not

VOL. V.

G

quite so abundant as in previous seasons. Eleanor is not a free bearer here, though I get some very fine fruit. From what I hear, I fear the crop of Strawberries will be a light one; but if the Strawberry crop be light, with an abundance of most other kinds of fruit the deficiency will not so much matter. Stourton. M. SAUL.

REMARKS ON FRUIT TREE CULTURE.-No. 10.

THE necessary winter pruning may be performed at any time during the dormant season, or, in fact, as soon as the leaves are all off, and will simply consist in shortening the shoots, more or less, according to their strength, taking 18 inches as a maximum length for strong ones, and the weaker in proportion. It is good practice then to take out all the old shreds and nails, and while the trees are loose to inject forcibly some strong clear lime water all over the walls at the back of the trees, for the purpose of expelling noxious insects from the crevices and nail-holes. The trees will be better left loose until early in March, when they should be dressed with composition and again trained to the walls with new nails and shreds.

This practice of leaving the trees loose all the winter is intended for the purpose of keeping down any undue excitement which may be caused by the prevalence of bright sunny days, which frequently occur during that season. The Peach is constitutionally liable to become very early excited into growth, and I have seen great injury result from the occurrence of severe frost in spring after a mild winter, through buds being killed and fractures occurring in the bark of the young wood, caused, probably, by the contraction and expansion consequent upon the ascending sap being frozen. If, therefore, the trees are left loose from the walls, they are to a certain degree removed from the influence of the radiation of heat from the walls, and thus the period of excitement is considerably retarded, greatly to the prospective advantage of the trees.

My observations have hitherto been confined principally to the treatment necessary to be followed out in the case of young trees; but as they advance in age and growth a number of other influences begin to work upon them, and the treatment will have to be modified in accordance therewith. But I think it will be best that I should follow out the old adage of "line upon line, precept upon precept," and proceed to the details of practice at the commencement of the second year's growth from the permanent planting.

If the trees, previous to that final planting, were passed through a good preparation elsewhere, so as to lay the foundation, as it were, of good wellbalanced trees, we may, in such a case, reasonably conclude that in the second year we may look for a fair proportion of fruit, according to the strength of the tree. Very strong and vigorous young trees may be permitted to carry more fruit than those which are weaker or even of only an average fruit-bearing strength, and for this reason-because the production of fruit is calculated to exhaust the energies of the trees very much, whilst the production of wood and foliage is calculated, where there is feeding material below and room enough above, to increase the strength and vigour of the trees in an almost indefinite degree. It is the perfect comprehension of these two opposing influences which enables the practitioner to work them against each other, to the mutual benefit of both trees and manager. I repeat, then, that very vigorous and luxuriant young trees may be permitted to carry a much greater weight of fruit proportionally than others which apparently need encouragement to keep up a tolerable growth.

It is not always, however, that, with the greatest care, strong vigorous trees

« PreviousContinue »