322 THE FLORIST. 



stated that he considered the dramage of borders is not so well 

 attended to as it ought to be. 



Mr. Thomas Hunter, Walsingham, Norfolk, was here brought 

 forward, and his statement was that the crops were very thin indeed 

 for miles around him ; that protection was used in several instances in 

 the form of Haythorn's netting, but he had as much fruit where no 

 covering was used, and more Apricots upon the uncovered than upon 

 the covered trees, and crops upon an open east wall were far better than 

 upon a covered south one ; and this is generally the case with him, 

 although the trees are in equal health and vigour ; his subsoil consists 

 of chalk, consequently artificial drainage is quite unnecessary. 



Mr. Poole, Pockington Hall, Coventry, next deposed to the crops 

 being very short in his neighbourhood : he never remembered such a 

 failure ; that a part of his Peaches and Apricots were covered with 

 Haythorn's hexagon and old herring nets ; that his subsoil being gravel 

 needed no artificial drainage ; the best crops he has this season were 

 upon unprotected trees ; still witness considers a broad portable coping 

 necessary. 



Mr. Wm. McPherson, gardener to Lord Calthorpe, Perry Hall, 

 Birmingham, here stated that the wall-fruit crops in his neighbourhood 

 were almost a complete failure, and that he had used Haythorn's 

 hexagon net ; also that his borders are naturally drained ; he also 

 stated that wherever he had been during the past season he had not 

 seen anything like a crop, whether protected or not, they all having 

 shared the same fate, even upon walls covered with glass to protect them. 

 One place he was at there was a quantity of Pear trees under the 

 glazed walls, but there were not twelve Pears on all the trees. 



Mr. Peter Grieve, Culford, Bury St. Edmonds, was next called. He 

 stated that the crops of Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, and Morello 

 Cherries were very good with him : that Plums, Pears, and Apples 

 were very deficient ; he has a large portion of wall twelve feet high, a 

 portion of which he always covers with straw ropes and a part he 

 leaves exposed, and this season the crops upon the unprotected are quite 

 equal to the protected portion ; the subsoil consisting of gravel, artificial 

 drainage is unnecessary. Upon cross examination this witness stated 

 that he had not always seen as good crops upon unprotected as upon 

 protected trees, and his conviction was that a slight protection of some 

 kind was indispensable, especially for Apricots. (This witness's mode of 

 protecting being rather novel, we will give it at length some future day.) 



Mr. Wm. Tolson, Copped Hall, Tolteridge, Herts, next deposed to 

 the crops being very moderate in his neighbourhood ; that Haythorn's 

 netting was used for Peaches, but Apricots were fully exposed, and 

 good crops were the result, although the blossoms were actually covered 

 with black frost this spring ; his subsoil being very porous, no drainage 

 is needed, and from his general experience he would very warily protect. 



This being the conclusion of the witnesses for the prosecution, 

 permission was asked to make one or two extracts to show the light 

 defendant was looked upon by old horticultural writers of the last 

 century. Walter Nicol, a very celebrated practical gardener and 

 author, says in his works on gardening, a.d. 1798, " It is a common 



