MAY. 139 



invariably went away converts." Again, Mr. Johnson says : " I saved 

 a good crop of fruit this season, which, without covering, I should not 

 have done." What ! then deep draining, though it has made Mr. 

 Johnson's garden, from being tlie latest in the neighbourhood to be one 

 of the earliest, has done nothing towards securing a crop of fruit. How 

 does Mr. Johnson know that he would not have saved a crop of fruit 

 last year without covering ? It appears he never covered his trees 

 until he adopted the plan of deep draining. If, before he adopted the 

 plan of deep draining, he had covered his trees, and year after year 

 secured good crops, then, in his case, we would be compelled to admit 

 the benefit of covering. But as Mr. Johnson has not done so, I cannot 

 admit that the crop of last year was owing solelij to his covering. 



This is the real point between Mr. Bailey and myself He ascribes 

 everything to retarding and covering : I do not. I think much of the 

 good results are due to thoroughly drained borders, well ripened wood, 

 &c. Mr. Bailey believes that Mr. Johnson's crop was owing solelij and 

 entirely to the covering : I do not. I am of opinion it was owing more 

 to his deep draining, and consequently to the wood being better ripened. 

 ]\lr. Bailey says: " ]\Ir. Spencer, of Bowood, uses broad projecting 

 coping boards, and makes breaks in his walls, to shelter his trees from 

 the cold, cutting winds." But Mr. Bailey did not tell us that Mr. 

 Spencer, before he applied these, thoroughly drained all his borders, 

 and renewed some of them. This, Mr. Bailey omitted to tell us, 

 which is a very important affair. I can ascribe his success more to 

 this than to the use of coping boards, &c. When I visited Bowood, in 

 October, 1853, though very much pleased with everything about that 

 beautiful place, the wall-fruit trees pleased me more than anything I 

 saw. Widely different was the appearance of the trees then to what 

 it was twelve years before. I ascribe this great change to the thorough 

 draining and renewal of the borders. Mr. Bailey may, as I dare say 

 he will, attribute it to the coping boards. If Mr. Spencer had left his 

 borders in the state they were sixteen years ago, he might use coping 

 boards in vain. Mr. Bailey thinks that retarding and covering will 

 alone secure good crops. Though I do not object to coverings, if people 

 like to use them, I still am of opinion that by thorough drainage and 

 improvement of the land — by proper selection of stocks, scions, and 

 sorts — by proper cultivation, especially disbudding and summer pruning 

 — by thinning of the spurs, when crowded — and, above all, by never 

 overcropping ; I say, I am of opinion, that by these means we can, 

 in nine seasons out of ten, secure good crops of fruit. I have done so 

 myself, here, the last seven years. 



M. Saul. 

 Stourton. 



Weigela AMABilis. — This, we presume, like rosea, is a native of 

 China or Japan. It has flowered with Messrs. Low and others, and is a 

 pretty shrub ; though, of the two, we certainly think rosea the hand- 

 somest. It is figured in the " Botanical Magazine" for January last. 



