. The book of the garden. Gardening. 39G HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. channel for the sap, the strongest shoot will form there, and thus afford the means of continuing the leaders to a great height, and for a great length of time, without crossing or obstructing each other, or throwing out useless collaterals. At the same time, by the depressed position of the leading branches, enough sap will be pushed out on their sides to form and maintain vigorous fruiting spurs. As trees trained in this manner need never exceed the bounds allotted them on a border or bed, a greater number of trees may be planted,
. The book of the garden. Gardening. 39G HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. channel for the sap, the strongest shoot will form there, and thus afford the means of continuing the leaders to a great height, and for a great length of time, without crossing or obstructing each other, or throwing out useless collaterals. At the same time, by the depressed position of the leading branches, enough sap will be pushed out on their sides to form and maintain vigorous fruiting spurs. As trees trained in this manner need never exceed the bounds allotted them on a border or bed, a greater number of trees may be planted, and a greater quantity of fruit pro- duced in a given space, than can be the case when they are trained in any other manner. But as pear and apple trees on free stocks may be found to grow too rude and large after a few years, those best answer which are grafted on dwarf-growing stocks—that is, pears on quince stocks, and apples on paradise stocks. How- ever, to keep dwarf trees from growing too lux- uriant and rude, it is a good practice to take them up and replant them every three or four years. If this is done with due care as soon as the leaves are off the trees in the fall of the year, it will not injure them, nor prevent them bearing a full crop of fruit the following ; Three to four branches we have found to suc- ceed much better than six, which, unless the circle be large, causes crowding and want of light and air to the inner side of the trees. We do not anticipate that trees trained in this form will continue long productive towards the base of the branches; but, on the other hand, suc- cessive ones might be brought in—the old spurs being cut clean away, and the branch made a conductor for a young shoot procured near its base, or grafted on it by the side-grafting process. The horizontal mode of training may be said to be entirely confined to the gardens of Britain. Neither the French, Dutch, Germans, or Ameri- cans practise it ; and they, with ourselves
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectgardening, bookyear18
