728. Second Year,-Winter Pruning.-Two secondary branches are procured by cutting back the two branches at the mark a', a', in a sloping direction, a quarter of an inch beneath two upper buds. These, when they shoot, will lengthen the mother branches, and the lower buds will send out two lower lateral branches (No. 2-1, 1). Nail in, so as to leave the mother and lateral branches about two feet apart. Continue to remove foreright and ill-placed twigs.

729. Third Year,-Winter Pruning.-Obtain two more branches, by pruning back the mother branches-still represented by No. 1— to upper buds, as b, b; but take off the two intermediate lower buds. The effects will be the production of the two shoots, 2, 2, No. 2, and the prolongation of the main branches to the points 3, 3, or further. At the same time, procure fruitful secondary shoots, 4, 4, and lengthen the first secondary lower branches, by pruning 1, 1, at parts whence the upper buds may lengthen the leading shoots in the direction of 7, 7, and the lower buds may produce the shoots 4, 4.

730. Fourth Year,-Winter Pruning,-is a repetition of the foregoing operations; and conformably therewith, the writer of the Horticultural Tour informs us that "continued care is exercised to keep both sides of the tree equally balanced as to vigour. If one principal arm become stronger than the other, the weak arm is altogether raised a little more towards the vertical, while the stronger is depressed more to the horizontal, and thus an equality is gradually accomplished."

731. Fifth Year,-Winter Pruning.-Prune near the marks 3, 3, between two upper and two lower buds. The former will continue the leaders 5, 5, and the latter will produce 6, 6.

732. Sixth Year,- Winter Pruning.-The lower secondary branches, if pruned at the marks beyond 7, 7, will procure two fruitful shoots, 8, 8, and also a continuation of the horizontal branches*. Thus the tree is formed; and now, the regulation of the fruitful shoots may become the chief object. "When the tree reaches the top of the wall, and the cutting-in is discontinued, and the pruning extends only to shortening the leading shoots, or, in some cases, bending them till they be confined about two or three inches below the coping of the wall. In this way, the equal distribution of the sap in the central parts of the tree is promoted. In the regular course of pruning, all branchlets that show fruit-buds only, are sacrificed without mercy: this would appear absurd to any one not a horticulturist; but if such branches do exist, their excision is

* Compare Harrison's mode of forming the peach-tree.—Treatise on FruitTrees, Ch. xxv.

quite prudent."-(See Knight's Remark, No. 702.) "From four to eight flower-buds are left on each twig, according to its strength, and a wood-bud at the extremity when it can be there had, or between two flower-buds near the extremity. When this woodbud expands into a shoot, the shoot is shortened to an inch or so in length. Other wood-shoots, as they are called, which may appear below the fruit-buds, or nearer the main branches, are cut down to one or two eyes."

Experience has proved, that the method just described is productive of much delay. A better would be to adopt the old fan or 'peacock's tail' training; or the new form suggested by Seymour, the principle of which is alluded to in the article on the peach (No. 85, p. 81). A maiden-tree, as I have ascertained, can furnish two, three, or four primary shoots, in the first season, on each side, if it be planted in October of the preceding autumn. Seymour's mode is not unlike espalier, horizontal training, an idea of which may be collected by referring to Harrison's treatment of the plum and apple-trees.

PART III.

OPERATIONS PRODUCTIVE OF FRUITFULNESS.

733. Renewal of the Soil.-The nature of the materials that may be required in order to effect any material change in the habits of a tree or plant, must depend in a great degree upon its natural character. If the soil be poor, hungry, and sandy, it may be enriched or ameliorated by the fresh soil of a meadow, by vegetable compost, and by cow manure. Harrison says,—" About half of the worst part of the soil must be taken entirely away, and a suitable portion of fresh loam, moderately enriched with cow-dung and vegetable manure, must be substituted in its place." If the soil of a fruitborder require renewal, attention must at the same time be paid to the roots of trees; and hereby a fair opportunity will be afforded of trying a second mode producing fruitfulness; namely,

734. Pruning the Roots.-Harrison directs, "all damaged parts to be cut off four or five feet from the end of every strong root which may have got to the extent of the border, and to prune away such as are inclined to the under stratum."

Beattie, gardener at Scone, observes, "In the beginning of July, 1811, I had a border on the south wall 400 feet long, trenched to the depth of from two and a-half to three feet. In doing this, I had the opportunity of cutting the roots of all the trees as the work went

on, which I did so completely that they in a manner hung by the nails and shreds, with a ball of earth of about two feet from the stem of the tree. As cutting the roots of fruit-trees has a tendency to make them fruitful, that may possibly proceed from the small quantity of fibrous roots produced by the operation."-(Encyc., 2163, from Caled. Mem. I., 272.)

The pruning of roots is seldom resorted to in practice; but it serves to write about. A healthy soil, free from manure, is the best security. I have witnessed the effects of a partial and gradual renewal of a soil in a very fine kitchen garden, at Shottesbrook, Berks. A portion of the old earth, perhaps a yard in width, and eighteen inches in depth, is taken carefully out on one side of the wall-tree, and the fresh turfy loam of a pasture, chopped small, is substituted for that removed. Diseased roots can thus be attended to, and, as the greater part of the roots remain undisturbed, little check is given to the tree, and this little is more than counteracted by the healthy stimulus afforded by the new soil. In three years, the entire soil can thus be renewed; and the tree equally benefited as if it were planted in a new border.

735. Ringing. This operation, which embraces a twofold object, is also termed the annular excision. It "was known to the Romans, and is mentioned by Virgil, Columella, &c. Among the moderns, it seems to have been revived by Du-Hamel in the beginning of the eighteenth century, more especially in 1733, when he perfectly succeeded in rendering trees fruitful; and has given an account of his experiments in the Mémoires de l'Académie des Sciences, A.D. 1788." -(Encyc. of Gard., 2167.)

(1st.) Production Ringing is practised for the purpose of inducing the formation of blossom-buds; the descent of the proper juice is thereby interrupted, and lateral action excited. The operaration should be performed in the spring on luxuriant trees, either on the main stem, in order to affect all the branches, or on individual secondary branches, to produce a partial effect. I have practised ringing-observing great caution—and, generally, with certain good results it does not, however, produce any sensible effects till the year following the operation. D. Van Mons, of Brussels, has lately written luminously on this subject.

(2nd.) Maturation Ringing is calculated, as the term implies, to promote the earlier ripening of the fruit. It ought not to be performed till the blossom is fully expanded, and perhaps not till the fruit is setting. As an example, "Williams of Pitmaston described a mode of making annular excisions in the bark of vines. These were made rather less than a quarter of an inch in width, that the

exposed wood might be covered again with bark, by the end of autumn. "Two vines of the white Frontiniac," he says, "in similar states of growth, being trained near to each other on a south wall, were selected for trial. One of these was experimented on (if I may use the term), the other was left in its natural state, to form a standard of comparison. When the circle of bark had been removed about a fortnight, the berries on the experimented tree began evidently to swell faster than those on the other, and, by the beginning of September, showed indications of approaching ripeness, while the fruit of the unexperimented tree continued green and small. In the beginning of October, the fruit on the tree that had the bark removed from it was quite ripe; the other only just began to show a disposition to ripen, for the branches were shortly afterwards destroyed by the autumnal frosts. In every case in which the circles of bark were removed, I invariably found that the fruit not only ripened earlier, but the berries were considerably larger than usual, and more highly flavoured. (Encyc. of Gardening, 2168.)

The above appears to be a decisive experiment: the white Frontiniac is in the catalogue, classed as a "hot-house grape;" and if such grapes can be brought to maturity in September, by cautious ringing, there can be no hesitation in adopting the practice.

736. In performing the operation, either for production, or maturation of fruit, the rings of bark to be removed should scarcely ever exceed in the diameter those mentioned by Williams,-say from onefourth to one-third of an inch. If less than the smaller of these proportions, the wound will almost immediately be filled up, as I have witnessed; but even then, I am almost certain that fruit-buds will be produced, "When," observes the Encyclopædia of Gardening, on the authority of Bourrelet, "the rings are made so wide that the barks cannot unite for two or three years, the result will be to accelerate the production of blossoms, and the setting of fruit, and to augment their size during the first year; and then, during the following years, to make them languish, and at last die.-(No. 2171.)

SECTION II.

PART I.

NATURAL HISTORY AND CULTIVATION OF ESCULENT

VEGETABLES.

Subject 1. HORSE-RADISH: - Cochlearia Armoracia; Cruciferæ. Class xv. Tetradynamia, of Linnæus.

737. The Essential Generic character of the genus Cochlearia, according to the English Flora, is, pouch nearly entire, turgid, rugged, of two valves, seeds numerous. The cotyledons are accumbent; that is, their edges meet the embryo longitudinally on one side.

738. The horse-radish is a native of Britain, and is commonly found on waste spots about farm-houses; originating, doubtless, in the refuse of the garden. The radical leaves very large, crenate (round-notched), those of the stems lanceolate, serrated, jagged, or deeply and narrowly pinnatifid. Flowers, white in numerous corymbs, becoming clusters of notched pouches, of which, most prove abortive. Style short. Stigma large, capitate. Root long, cylindrical, white, and highly pungent, running deep into the ground, and extremely difficult of extirpation.-(Eng. Flora, Vol. III., 178.)

Horse-radish is a useful aromatic stimulant, and ought always to be cultivated, though not in the garden: a waste spot of ground twelve or fourteen feet square, in a field or yard, being its proper situation.

739. Cultivation.-No vegetable can be of more easy culture; but to obtain fine, large, and unforked roots, particular management is required. Pure generous loam, not clayey, but of rather a compact and firm texture, free from intermixture of decaying vegetable matters, appears to me to be the appropriate soil. Whatever manure is applied, it should, as Judd observes, be confined to the bottom of the trench or bed, "for if not so done, the horse-radish, which always puts out some side-roots, would send out such large side-roots from the main root in search of dung lying contiguous, as materially to injure the main crop."

Judd and Abercrombie agree in trenching the ground to the depth of two feet; but Knight trenches three feet deep. Abercrombie's directions accord sufficiently with the practice of both these modern cultivators: he plants in holes made by the dibber, as well as in open trenches, putting in the sets as the work proceeds; the season for planting may be any time from October to March.

740. Trench-planting.-Open a trench fifteen inches wide, and