DECEHBER. 355 



used to protect with. He considers that the borders are not so gene- 

 rally drained as they ought to be ; also, throughout his general 

 observations, he does not remember seeing such good crops as upon 

 protected trees. 



Mr. W. J. Ward, Prospect Hill, Reading, next stated that he had plenty 

 of Peaches, but Apricots were very thin and all other fruits a total failure. 

 He has been eleven years in this place, and during this time he has 

 generally had good crops, but has always used slight protection. He 

 has often noticed a failure amongst his neighbours where not protected. 

 Pie is no advocate for heavy protection, and thinks nets quite adequate. 



Mr. Wm. Cox, Moseley Hall, next deposed to the crops being very 

 scarce indeed with him, and that as far as his practice extends, which 

 is over twenty years, he considers the coverings should be glass, and 

 nothing else. This he has proved by using old garden lights placed 

 lengthways along the top of the .wall, giving them a fall of six inches 

 merely to shoot off the water ; by this plan, last season he had a good 

 crop, but this season none. He also considers it an excellent plan to 

 place breaks with either boards or straw hurdles placed edgeways 

 against the wall at about 30 or 40 feet distance from each other, but 

 he is very careful not to place anything dark in front of the trees. 

 This witness also speaks very decidedly as to not having seen as good 

 crops where the trees were not covered as upon those that were. 



Mr. Piowell, Bolton House, Gateshead, next bore evidence to the crops 

 being very scarce with him ; that he protects with calico and Spruce 

 Fir branches. His borders are w'ell drained, and the protected portion 

 of his trees are the only ones that have any fruit upon them. 



Mr. Wm. Laudon, Downton Castle, here stated that the crops in his 

 locality were very poor, with the exception of his own, and that he has 

 abundance, and never once failed a crop. He covers some of his trees 

 with Haythorn's hexagon net and Fir branches ; those covered with 

 the branches were by far the best. This being the place of that cele- 

 brated horticulturist, the late Thomas Andrew Knight, Esq., the most 

 scientific principle had been adopted in making the borders and planting 

 the trees : hence one principal cause of this witness's success ; but he 

 must state that throughout his general observation he had never seen 

 crops equal to the protected ones. 



This being the conclusion as regards witnesses for the defence, it was 

 considered that as prosecutor liad introduced some quotations in support 

 of his case, that there could be no objection if the same course was 

 adopted for the defence. The extract that would be made was merely 

 to show, that those who judiciously employed defendant were looked 

 upon as deserving approbation rather than censure by the author, who 

 was a very highly influential man in all scientific affairs. P. Neill, 

 Esq., F.L.S., and Secretary to the Caledonian Horticultural Society, 

 says, in "Sir John Sinclair's Report," 1814, chap, ix., "That a 

 variable and unsettled climate tends to call into action all the powers of 

 the mind and to produce habits of unceasing attention ; and when a 

 gardener is able to raise a tolerable crop, both of the more tender fruits 

 and vegetables, he has doubtless more real merit in accomplishing this 

 object, even though the articles should be somewhat inferior in quality, 



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