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appear, dust the young shoots and leaves with flour of sulphur.

Strawberry beds should now be covered between the plants with short grass or straw, in order to keep the surface moist, and the fruit from being soiled by heavy rains.

Thin Grapes in the stove, forcing-house, or vinery.

June.

The young trees which have been grafted should be looked over from time to time, to see that they are not cut by the mat with which the scion was tied; should there be any appearance of this, the bandage must be removed, and the plant tied again at the shoulder. These operations will be found in detail under the different heads of fruit, where their propagation is treated of.

Look over the different sorts of wall-trees and espaliers, removing the superfluous shoots, and training the others, as directed under the different heads of Pruning and Training.

Thin wall-fruit as directed under their different heads also. Apricots may be thinned for the last time, as most of the sorts will have hardened their stones by this time.

Vines must be looked over, their tendrils cut off as they make their appearance, and the lateral shoots shortened to two joints; which see, under the head of Pruning and Training of VINES.

July.

In the beginning of this month, thin finally the laterripening Apricots, and early Peaches and Nectarines, following up with those which ripen in succession.

Wall trees and espaliers must be looked over, and

divested of their superfluous wood, and the rest trained regularly and neatly at length.

Vines must be looked over, their tendrils taken off, the laterals shortened to one joint, if the upper bud has pushed since the last month long enough to require this to be done. The shoots which have produced fruit must be shortened to two joints above the uppermost bunch, keeping those closely trained to the wall.

Runners of all the sorts of Strawberries should now be taken off, and the young plants bedded out, in order to have them strong and well-rooted previously to their being finally planted out in the autumn. Should the weather prove dry, they must be well watered till they have taken root.

August.

At the commencement of this month, such Apple trees as were washed over in the month of February, in order to destroy the white mealy insect, should be carefully examined now; and where the insect again makes its appearance, those parts must be washed over with the composition as before. After this dressing, the trees will, in all probability, continue without experiencing any further injury. It will still be necessary to look them over again in February or March, in case they should be assailed again by a flight of these depredators from some neighbouring tree.

Continue to keep all sorts of wall trees nailed close to the wall, in order to the better ripening of their wood, and a due admission of light to their fruit. Large and perfectly ripened fruit can never be obtained where the trees are kept in a loose and slovenly state.

Thin out Grapes, and such sorts of Pears as are intended to be grown to the very largest size.

Keep all the lateral shoots of Vines to one joint; and

where these have grown again, they must be shortened back as before.

Runners of all the sorts of Strawberries must now be taken off and bedded out, if this has not been done already; and where grass or straw has been made use of to cover the old beds and to protect the fruit, these should be removed, and the ground cleaned by the hoe.

Cut down all the last year's canes of such Raspberries as have ripened their fruit. This will cause the young canes to grow stronger, ripen better, and be productive of finer and much better fruit than if left, according to the usual custom, till the plants are pruned in the winter or spring. See Cultivation of RASPBERRIES.

Budding must be performed this month, beginning with Cherries, Apricots, or Plums, and continuing with Peaches, Nectarines, Pears, and Apples; but the rotation of these must be determined by an examination of the state of the young wood of the sorts to be budded, as it is necessary the young shoots should be sufficiently ripened to ensure success in the operation.

September.

Continue to nail up all fruit trees close to the wall, in order that the young wood may be properly ripened.

Towards the middle of this month, cut off close to the principal shoot all such lateral side-shoots of the Vine as were before shortened back to one joint, as the principal eyes now will not push out any new shoots: this will give the plants air and light, and materially assist in ripening both their wood and fruit.

Protect the Grapes from wasps and the large blue flies, by putting the bunches in thin gauze bags. In some scasons, particularly in hot and dry summers, wasps and flies are so numerous that they attack every description of fruit as it becomes ripe. They may be destroyed very readily by hanging up bottles on differ

ent parts of the wall, half filled with vinegar and water mixed with honey, sugar, or treacle, emptying the bottles from time to time, and returning the liquor into them again.

Ants are also great devourers of ripe fruit. When they are numerous, they may be effectually destroyed by one quart of water in which an ounce of pounded arsenic has been boiled half an hour, and mixed with sugar, so as to form a thin syrup: this must be placed in oyster-shells at the foot of the trees or bottom of the wall, covering them so as to keep off the rain: this will require to be frequently removed, and kept in a liquid

state.

Net Morello Cherries, to preserve them from birds.

October.

Apples and Pears will mostly require to be gathered this month for laying up in the fruit room. The valuable autumnal varieties may be continued in season much longer than their usual time, by gathering one third of the crop a fortnight or three weeks before it be ripe, one third a week or ten days afterwards, and the remaining third when it is ripe: the last gathering in this case will be the first to be brought to table; the second gathering will be the next; and the first gathering will continue the longest fit for use. After hot dry summers, some of the finer winter Pears will continue longer in succession, by pursuing this method, than if the whole crop were to be left on the tree till ripe.

Imperatrice, Saint Catharine, and Coe's Plums, may be gathered and suspended by their stalks on twine, and placed near the glass withinside of a south window for a few weeks, and will continue to improve in flavour. If after this time Coe's Plums are wrapped in thin, soft, white paper, and put in boxes in a dry room, they

may be kept perfectly well for twelve months, when they become an excellent sweatmeat.

Trench and prepare borders and quarters; and transplant fruit trees against walls, and standards and dwarfs in orchards; open quarters and borders in the fruit garden.

Plums and Cherries planted out at this time will make fresh roots during the autumn and mild part of the winter, and grow with much more vigour when headed down in the spring, than those planted out a month or more afterwards.

It will not, however, be advisable to plant these at this season, after a cold wet summer, unless the leaves will come clean off by drawing the hand upwards from the bottom of the shoot to its extremity.

Plant out cuttings of Gooseberries and Currants, as directed under that head.

The fruit room at this time will require particular attention as to the distribution of the fruit, as every sort of Apple and Pear should be kept by itself.

In order to keep some of the more valuable Apples in a perfect state to a late period of the season, they should hang till they can be readily detached from the tree. They should then be placed in casks or boxes, as they are gathered, beginning with a layer of thoroughly dry pit sand in the bottom, then a layer of Apples, placed close to each other, then another layer of sand, just sufficient to cover the fruit, and no more, and so continuing alternately, till the cask or box is full, finishing with a covering of sand. These should be placed in the fruit room; where they may remain undisturbed till the others of the same kind kept on the shelves are nearly done. This method has been practised many years ago at Holkham, where I have tasted the Golden Harvey Apple and some others, so kept, in as high a state of perfection in the month of May

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