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and leaves were promoted by shortening the shoots so as to cause them to push again with greater
vigour. The iruit, however, from these comparatively weak laterals cannot be so perfect as when produced
from buds situated iu the vicinity of a large body of stem, whose vessels, filled with many years’
secretions of saccharine substance, can b etter supply the fruit depending upon it, than the watery,
scarcely ligneous twigs of a young seedling.” . . . . . .
4297. A v e r y coimnon pra c tic e am ong those who ra is e f r u i t trees f r o m seed is, in th e second or third
season, to select such plants only as have broad and roundish leaves, throwing away the rest ; experience
having taught, th a t the former more frequently produce fruit of improved qualities, or at least
larger, than those plants which have narrow-pointed leaves. The width and thickness of the leaf, Knight
observes, “ generally indicate the size of the future apple ; but will by no means convey any correct idea
of the merits of the future fruit. Where these have the character of high cultivation, the qualities of
the fruit will bo far removed from those of the native species ; but the apple may be insipid or highly
flavoured, green, or deeply coloured, and of course well or ill calculated to answer the purposes of the
planter. An early blossom in tlie spring, and an early change of colour in the autumnal leaf, would
naturally be supposed to indicate a fruit of early maturity ; but I have never been able to discover any
criterion of this kind on which the smallest dependence may be placed. The leaves of some varieties
will become yellow and fall off, leaving the fruit green and immature ; and the leaves in other kinds
will retain their verdure long after th e fruit has perished. The plants whose buds in the annual wood
are lull and prominent, are usually move productive than those whose buds are small and shrunk in the
b a r k ; but their future produce will depend much on the power the blossoms possess of bearing the
cold, and this power varies in the different varieties, and can only be known from experience. Those
which produce their leaves and blossoms ra the r early in th e spring are generally to be preferred; for
though they are more exposed to injury from frost, they less frequently suffer from the attacks of insects
; th e more common cause of failure. The disposition to vegetate early or late in th e spring is,
like almost every other quality in the apple-tree, transferred in different degrees to its offspring ; and
th e planter must therefore seek those qualities in the parent tree which he wishes to find in the future
seedling plants. The most effective method I have been able to discover of obtaining such fruits as
vegetate very early in th e spring, has been by introducing the farina of the Siberian crab into the blossom
of a rich and early apple, and by transferring in the same manner the farina of the apple to the blossom
of the Siberian crab. The leaf and the habit of many of the plants, th a t I have thus obtained, possess
much of the character of the apple, whilst they vegetate as early in the spring as the crab of Siberia, and
possess, at least, an equal power of bearing cold ; and I possess two plants of this family, which are quite
as hardy as the most austere crab of our woods.”
4298. Abercrombie observes that, “ as th e codling is a sort found to change very little from seed, or
not for the worse, new plants of it are sometimes raised by sowing the kernels, not by way of experiment
for a new uncertain variety, but with some dependence on having a good sort resembling the parent.”
4299. B y c u ttin g s . Every variety of apple may be grown from c u ttin g s ; though some with much
greater facility than others. All those of the burknott and codling tribes grow as well this way as hy
any other, and some allege, th a t the tree's so raised are not liable to canker {H o r t. T ra n s ., vol. i. p. 120.),
which is supposed to be owing to th e ir “ putting out no tap-root, but spreading their numerous fibres
from the knot or b u rr horizontally.” Even th e golden pippin may be continued in this way, and the
trees have remained seven years in perfect health, when grafts taken not only from the same tree, but
from the very branch, part of which was divided into cuttings, cankered in two or three years. “ Ail
apple trees-raised in this way,” Biggs observes, “ from healthy one-year-old branches, with blossom-
huds upon them, will continue to go on bearing the finest fruit, in a small compass, for many years.
Such trees are peculiarly proper for forcing, and not liable to canker.” {H o r t. T ra n s ., vol. i. p. 65.)
r e to b e c h o " ’ .^ ,...4 ............... chosen from the young wood of horizontal or obli que 4b ..r.aun.c..h es, ra the-ru t.h. an fr<
Th e cuttings are t'
upright ones ; from 6 in. to 8 iu. or more in length, with a small portion of old wood a t the lower end.
Cut off tho tip of the shoot, and all th e buds, excepting two or three next the tip or upper extremity ;
then smooth the sections at the lower end and insert them 3in. or 4 in. in sandy loam, pressing the earth
firmly to them, watering, and covering with a hand-glass. The proper time for this operation is early
in February, and the glass should not be touched, excepting to give water, till th e shoots have sprung
an inch or two. Shade during th e mid-day sun, and begin to harden by giving air in July ; finally remove
the glass in August: and in October transplant to nursery rows, or in pots, according to future intention.
With the burknott tribe, all th at is necessary is to plant the cuttings in a shady border, and trea t them
like those of the gooseberry or currant.
4 3 0 B y layei-s. T h e success of this mode of propagation may be considered as certain . as it has
nothing peculiar in its application to the apple, we need only refer to general directions (2422.) for performing
the operation. T h e after treatment of th e plants is the same as that for those originated by
th e foregoing or following modes.
4301. B y suc k e rs. This mode is generally confined to the paradise and creeping apple for stocks.
4302. B y g r a ftin g a n d inoculation. This may be said to b e the universal practice in propagating the
apple. The first consideration is th e choice of stocks ; of these, th ere are five sorts in common u s e : —
Seedling apples, used for full standards, and riders or wall standards ; seedling crabs, for standards and
half standards; codling apples, from layers or cuttings, for dwarfs and espaliers ; p a ra d is e apples, or
doucins. from layers or cuttings, for low dwarfs and tra in e d ; and cre epe r apples, from layers or cuttings,
for the best dwarfs or bushes. D u Breuil, gardener at Ilouen, recommends the doucin for clayey and
light soils, and a free stock for such as are chalky aud siliceous. {H o r t. T ra n s ., vol. iv. p. 566.)
4303. Stocks o f seedling apples. The seeds should be selected from the fruit of vigorous growing young
o r middle-aged healthy tre e s ; but when wanted in large quantities, they are procured from cider makers:
|)rivate propagators will adopt th e first mode. The sowing and after treatment are the same as for seed-
4304. Seedling c rabs. “ A preference,” Knight observes, “ has generally and justlybeen given to apple-
stocks raised from the seeds of th e native kind, or crab, as being more hardy and durable than those
produced from th e apple. The offspring of some varieties of th e crab, particularly of those introduced
from Siberia, vegetate much earlier in the spring than th e other trees of the same species; and thence
th e inexperienced planter will probably be led to suppose, th a t such stocks would accelerate the vegetation
of other varieties in the spring, and tend to produce an early m aturity of th e fruit in autumn. In
this, however, he will be disappointed. T h e office of the stock is, in every sense of theword, subservient;
and it acts only in obedience to th e impulse it receives from the branches: the only qualities, therefore,
which are wanting to form a perfect stock, are vigour and hardiness.”
4305. Seeds, sowing, a n d c u ltu r e . In collecting the seeds to sow, it must be remembered, that the
habits as well as the diseases of plants are often hereditary, and attention should be paid to th e state of
th e tree from which the seeds are tak e n : it should be large and of free growth, and ra the r in a growing
state than one of m aturity or decay. T h e crab-trees, which stand in cultivated grounds, generally grow
more freely and attain a larger stature than those in the woods, and therefore appear to claim a preference.
T h e seeds should be taken from the fruit before it is ground for vinegar, and sown in beds of good
mould 1 in. deep. From these the plants should be removed in th e following autumn to the nursery,
and planted in rows at 3 ft. distance from each other, and 18 in. between each plant. Being here p ro.
perly protected from cattle and hares, they may remain till they become large enough to be planted out,
th e ground being regularly worked and kept free from weeds.
4306. Codling stocks are raised chiefly from layers, which, a t the end of the season, are taken off, and
planted in nursery rows 2 ft. between th e rows, and 1 ft. plant from plant.
4307. P a ra d ise , and those called by th e French doucin stocks, are raised either from layers or suckers;
aOTn,- d stoKc- ksfl fr<o• m c' /rfefe^pisnag papppuless (rso named from their aptitude to throw up suckers), or the Dutch p a ra -
coffi’ing stocks^”^ mode. They may be planted in nursery rows somewhat closer than the
4308. A ll stocks require to stand in the nursery till they are from half an inch to an inch thick at the
height a t which they are to he grafted. Such as are intended for full standards or riders will in general
require to grow three or four years before being fit for this operation ; those for half stanriards two vears’
and those for dwarfs one year The ground between them must be kept clear of weeds and stirred
every wintor ; th e side shoots of tlie plants, at least to the height at which they are intended to be grafted
rubbed off as they appear, and all suckers carefully removed. Where budding is adopted t h i stocks
may be worked a t nearly half the diameter of stem requisite for grafting; and stocks for dwarfs planted
in autumn or spring may be inoculated the succeeding summer. No great advantage however is gained
budréhootr*^^^^^’ require to stand a t least another year, before they have produced their
43G<0. Soil a n d siiualion, o f the n u r s e r y . “ A difference of opinion appears always to have prevailed
respecting the quality of the soil proper for a nursery: some have preferred a very poor and others a
very rich soil ; and both perhaps are almost equally wrong. 'J he advocates for a poor soil appear to me
to have been misled by translernng the leelings of animals to plants, and inferring that a change from
want to abundance must be agreeable and beneficial to both. But plants in a very poor soil become
stunted and unhealthy, and do not readily acquire habits of vigorous growth when removed from it
In a soil which has been highly manured, the growth of young apple trees is extremely rapid • and their
appearance, during two or three years, generally indicates the utmost exuberance of health a’nd vigour
These are, however, usually the forerunners of disease, and the ‘ canker’s desolating tooth ’ blasts the
hopes ol the planter. In choosing the situation for a nursery, too much shelter, or exposure should be
equally avoided ; and a soil, nearly similar to that in which the trees are afterwards to grow should
be selected, where It can be obtained. Pasture ground, or unmanured meadow, should be preferred
to old tillage, and a loam of moderate strength and of considcrabie depth to all other soils.” ( T r on
A p p . a n d P e a r .)
4310. G ra jtin g . The first business is to select the scions, th e principles of which have been already
noticed (2471.). At whatever season scions are to be inserted, Knight observes, “ the branches which
are to form them, should be taken from the parent stock during the winter, and not later than the end
of the preceding year : for if the buds have begun to vegetate in the smallest degree (and thev begin
with the mcreasing influence of the sun), the vigour of the shoots, during the first season, will be
diminished, and the grafts will not succeed with equal certainty; though a graft of the apple tree
very rarely fails, unless by accidental injury, or great want of skill in the operator. The aniputated
branches must be kept alive till wanted, by having the end of each planted in the ground a few'inches
deep, in a shady situation.”
4311. Stocks destined to fo rm s ta n d a rd trees may either be grafted at the usual height at which the
lateral branches are allowed to diverge, which is commonly C ft., or they may be grafted near the giuunu, nairi.au a« single osnKor.o«cf »c-r..a..iinote.,a! Air-ootimw. »tUnoet. grait, so as »to,. Cl_o_r_m_ t»hue _ stem of the t ree. f VT..h. e proprietv c
graftmg near th e ground, or at the height of 6 ft. or 7 ft., will depend on the kind of fruit to be propagated,
whether it be quite new and ju st beginning to bear, or a middle-aged variety. In new and
luxiinant varieties (and these only should be propagated) it will be advantageous to graft when the
stocks are three years old, as the growth of such will be more rapid, smooth, and upright than that of
th e crab, and there will be no danger of these being injured by beginning to bear too early Middle-
aged varieties will be most successfully propagated by planting stocks of 6 ft. or 7 ft. high and leltiiiff
them remain ungrafted till they become firmly rooted in the places in which the trees are to stand
One grait only should be inserted in each stock ; for when more are used, they are apt to divide when
loaded with fruit, and to cleave the stock, having no natural bond or connection with each other
W hen th e stocks are too large for a single scion, I would recommend that the grafts be inserted in the
branches, and not in the principal stem. This practice is not uncommon in various parts of England •
and IS general in Germany, with free stocks, where, however, they often neglect to graft the trees ■ and
thus, as Neill observes, produce an endless variety of sorts, some good, but most of them little better
tnan craos.
4 4312. Stocks, in tended to fo rm h a lf standards, are grafted a t 3 ft. or 4 ft. from the ground ; and those
for dw a r fs at 8 in .o r ]O n i.,o r lower. Miller and Knight agree in recommending to graft n e a r'th e
ground where lasting and vigorous trees are wanted ; but the practice o fth e continental gardeners and
the opinious of some m this country, are in favour of leaving a stem below the graft of not less than 1 ft
in length.
( f g ra ftin g g cn e ra liy adopted for moderate-sized stocks is the w h ip or tohnue method
(24M.), or the mode of saddle-grafting (2459.) adopted by K n ig h t; and the general time for the apple
is the end of ¿ b r u a r y and greater part of March. Much depends on the season and' situation ; the
gmding principle is, to make choice of the time when the sap of the stock is in full motion • while that
oi tye'Scions, from havmg been previously cut off and placed in the shade, is less so. ’
4 ^ 4 . The com m o n season f o r b u d ding the apple is J u ly ; as there is nothing peculiar to this tree in
performing that operation, we refer to the general directions (2480.).
4315. T r am p la n tin g g ra fte d trees in the n u r s e r y . “ It has heen recommended,” Knight observes “ to
remove grafted trees once or twice durmg th e time they remain in the nursery, under the idea of inthink
this practice onlv eligible with trees which rln nnt r«nhiw
, OT- - -- - ¿ g r ew better than others. It has also been suppVsedJhat ma'iiy
n ail roots, proceeding immediately from the trunk, are, in the future growth of the tree to be preferred
-J a few which are large ; but as the large roots of necessity branch into small, which conseauentlv
extend to a greater distance, the advantages of more transplantations than from the seed-bed to the
nursery, and thence to the garden or orchard, may reasonably be questioned.”
4316. Soil a n d site fo r p e rm a n e n t p la n tin g . Any common soil, neither extremely sandv. gravelly nor
clayey, on a dry subsoil, and with a free exposure, will suit this tree. On wet, chilly subsoils, it xnli do
no good, but after being planted a few years will become cankered, and get covered with moss Where
fruit trees must he planted on such soils, they should be first rendered as dry as possible by under-
draining ; next, provision made for carrying off the rain-water by surface g u tte rs; and, lastly, the ground
should not be trenched above 1 ft. deep, and the trees planted ra the r in hillocks of earth above the
s u r ^ e , than m pits dug mto it. There is no point of more importance than shallow trenching and
sh .How planting in cold wet soils, m which deep pits and deep pulverisation only serve to aggravate
their natura l evils of moisture and cold. {Sang, in Caled. M em ., vol. iv. p. 140.)
4317. K n ig h t observes, that “ the apple tree attains its largest stature iu a deep strong loam or marly
¿ l y ; but It will thrive in all rich soils, which are neither very sandy nor wet at bottom. It succeeds
best, he adds, “ in situations which are neither high nor remarkably low. In the former its blossoms
are Irequcntly injured by cold winds, and in th e latter hy spring fros'ts, particularly when the trees ure
planted m the lowest part of a confined valley. A south or south-east aspect is geuerally preferred on
account of the turbulence of th e west, and th e coldness of north winds; but orchards succeed wel! in all
aspects; and where the violence of the west wind is broken by an intervening rise of ground, a southwest
aspect will be found equal to any.”
_ 4318. Abercrombie says, “‘all the sorts of apple tree may be planted in any good common soil, w
free exposure, whether that of a g;irden, an orrcchh,ard, or a field ; so that the ground be neither very iow i
ii!