April i, 1884.J 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



701 



iug to their respective sizes and weight of fruit^for in- 

 stauce^ one of tiiera of uo great size, whose fruit hft<l 

 easily been forced up to a pound in weight, yielded up- 

 wards of 400 — the general crop from this source alone 

 may in some degree be imagined — in tact, the hand-picking 

 of the fruit, together with its storage and disbursement, 

 formed about the heaviest as well as the most pleasurable 

 job connected with the garden. 



■■ The fruit grown consisted of Apples (good dessert sorts, 

 Pears, choico varieties, such as Marie Louise, Duchesse, 

 Beurrc Diel, Muscatel, Jargonelle, etc., Peaches, the trees 

 bearing immensely — the count of good well-ripene<l fruit 

 going up to 300 on a single tree, Apricots, Plum.-* of se- 

 veral varieties — the New Orleans kind cropping extra largely, 

 and the iMagnum Bouum going up to a quarter of a pound 

 in weight. Melons, Grapes (out-door sweet water), Straw- 

 berries, Currants and Gooseberries, Black and "WTiite Grapes, 

 with other tender fruit, were grown under glass "with sim- 

 ilar success, and weight of fruit, but this kind being ex- 

 pensive to grow is not, nor probably ever will be, for the 

 million in this country. 



"Now none of this splendid fruit ever went to market — 

 it was grown purely for the love of its growth, use and 

 distribtiuon — besides the ad libitum supply for his own ta- 

 ble — (which was supplied as tables seldom are) "Head- 

 gardener" sent weekly baskets for the greater part of each 

 year to his own relations, who having more than they 

 could consume, distributed in their turn, and his friends 

 and neighbours were likewise libei'ally remembered. One 

 lady not long ago told him that she felt sure that her 

 aged mother's days had been lengthened by the constant 

 supplies of delicious fruit sent her. But what surprised 

 people more even than the unprecedented yield of fruit 

 was the following circumstance, viz., that whenever blight 

 (so-called) destroyed or partially destroyed (which it too 

 often did) the fruit prospects of the neighbourhood and 

 country at large, "Head-gardener's" trees were never once 

 affected by it. Blight or no blight, fruit to almost any 

 extent was always to be foimd in his garden. 



" Not long ago, a near relative of mine, possessing a fine 

 large standard apple tree of a good dessert kind, noh- 

 bearing, beggeil me as a favour to take it in hand, and the 

 following autumn the tree was so loaded with fruit that 

 a cart (baskets being of little use), had to be backed up 

 under it to convey away the crop — 80 that even half-a- 

 dozen good trees well looked after, would constitute a 

 respectable orchard, and become certain and valuable pro- 

 perty." 



In another case he restored an old, worn out, neglected 

 orchard to such vigorous bearing that the trees had to bo 

 propped up to keep them from breaking down with the 

 weight of fruit. Trees that had not borne fruit for fif- 

 teen years were restored to vigorous bearing in a single 

 season. 



A man who has done suoh work may well magnify his 

 work. Mr. Kynaston says ; — 



" As fruit is one of nature's best medicines — being at 

 one and the same time cooling, digestive, and health-giving 

 —and is besides the direct alternative to the white bread, 

 tough meat (as a rule) and other astringent food, which 

 we daily and so largely partake of — its moderate constant 

 use is therefore absolutely essential to oiu? well and perfect 

 being— con.sequently its proper cultivation would greatly 

 add to our individual and national interests. Now I have 

 found fruit easy enough to grow in marvellous quantity 

 by the simple and inexpensive means which I have adopted : 

 my plan being, after thinning out .small jiuor fruit, to let 

 the trees then bear to tlieir very utmost, and the sure 

 sign that they were equal to their work was, because they 

 never dropped their- fruit." 



Mr. Kynaston says he has never exhibited or " para- 

 gi-aphed " his pears, nor sought for any publicity t but 

 having proved his work, he thinks it his duty to teach his 

 method to the public. 



What that method is we will show as clearly and briefly 

 as we can. 



A fruit tree, Mr. Kynaston says, has three kinds of 

 roots, each with its own special function. 



1. A tap root, going down perpendicularly from" the 

 trunk, .simply to give a firm support to the tree. This 

 should not be meddled with. 

 2. Long roots, corresponding to the branches of the tree, 



which supply the nutriment for woody growth. These 

 should be pruned to limit and regulate such growth. 



3. Flower and fruit foi-'ling roots, whicii are small and 

 thickly clustered round tho trimk of the tree. These are 

 to be cultivated and nourished that they may supply the 

 fruit-making materials. 



To restore a fruitless tree to its proper function, prune 

 away surplus wood among the branches, but leave enough 

 for fruit. This may he best done in autumn. In the 

 spring, when the tree is about to blossom, dig a trench 

 about it from four to six feet from the trunk — according 

 to the size — and about a foot in depth, and cut off the 

 spreading roots. If the tree be small this can be done 

 with a sharp spade. This will check the growth of wood 

 and allow the life force of the tree to be chiefly expended 

 upon its fruit. 



The next point is to feed the starving fruit rootlets. 

 As soon as the blossoms appear, do what the gardener in 

 the pai'able of the barren fig-tree proposed to do — dig about 

 and dung it. Carefully open and loosen the soil within 

 a yard of the trunk, and moisten it daily with liquid 

 maniu'e, a bucketful to a small tree, and two or three to 

 larger ones — half common manure and halt water; and, 

 Mr. Kynaston insists, all sewage and suds from the house, 

 which, as the waste matter of human, I'ruit-eatuig creat- 

 ures; is just the material needed by the tree to manu- 

 facture into fresh fruits. Guano also does well, and the 

 sweepings of the hen-house. The great point is to provide 

 the matter of which fruit is made ai the right time, in 

 the right flfwe, and in sifjficient quantitv. 



The right time is from the flower to the full grown fruit. 



The I'ight place is near the ti'unk of the tree where 

 the fruit rootlets thickly cluster. 



The right quantity is Knovgh. The roots will not absoro 

 more than they need. "What remains wiU be good for 

 next year. The trees will be none the worse for a win- 

 ter crop of cabbages or other hardy plants. 



Trees may bo cleansed from parasites by washing with 

 soda or lime. But a healthy, vigorous tree takes care of 

 itself. It is the weak that suffer from parasites. 



"Wo give Mr. Kynaston's facts and his method. "We have 

 no doubt that the facts are true ; and uo doubt that tho 

 adoption of his method everywhere would add miUions to 

 the wealth, and greatly increase the health of the English 

 people. 



In one case where an old, neglected, unbearing orchard, 

 had become a mere thicket of tingled branches, Mr. 

 Kynaston — or " Head-gardener " as he likes to bo called — 

 took it in huud. It was a tough job, but " next year 

 every tree responded grandly to tho call of good cultiv- 

 ation — the trees cropping, in many instances so heavily, 

 that props had to bo placed under several of their branches, 

 to pievent the weight of fruit from breaking them down 

 — and the year after the erop was still hea\'ier." 



Fruit trees, Mr. Kynaston insists, cannot bo injm-ed by 

 his ju'ocess, and also cannot fail to bear abundant fruit. 

 Trees which had not borne fruit for fifteen years, but only 

 "made wood," have been perfectly covered with fruit in a 

 single season. 



Such being the fact, what is to hinder the whole country 

 being covered with fruit, anu evei-y town supplied cheaply 

 and abundantly with the best, most delicious, and healthi- 

 est food 'i 



Speaking of the advantage which his discoveries may be 

 to Agriculture, Mr. Kynaston says : — 



" People living in London can form but a poor idea Bt 

 the distress (ever-increasing) that exists in agriculttu-al dis- 

 tricts ; both landlords and tenants are everywhere in largo 

 numbers, being either hopelcssly-ruined or elsemiser.ibly re- 

 duced in circumstances. It really appears as if ono section 

 of the people were about to be starved, in order that the 

 other might have cheaper food. AYe have, I fear, departed 

 from the safe and happy medium course, and ventured on 

 extremes, which always, as a riUe, end bxdly." 



Since writing tho above we have been favoured by Mr. 

 Kynaston with the following letter. 



Mr. Kynaston writes: — 



" Yes, advanced fruit culture is, a.s you rightly term it, 

 uniotd veulih for the fntvre, and can be, and has been, 

 with amazing success, applied to all kinds of fruits, and to 

 veg<tation generally. The Bala garden, yielding but lately 

 60 poorly, is uow exceeduigly productive. A grand-daughter 



