376 THE GARDENER. [Aug. 



where the roots are supposed to find their food. It is evident there 

 must be food, or where is such fine foliage and luscious fruit manu- 

 factured 1 Vines are met with often growing under the same circum- 

 stances : one on a tradesman's house in a town not far from here is some- 

 thing wonderful in its way — the kind is the black Esperione. I am 

 told that it has produced heavy crops for many years past, and this 

 year the bunches almost touch one another. There are only a few 

 inches of open space between the pavement and base of the house front 

 wall. The pavement and causeway together, between the Vine and the 

 street, may be twelve feet wide, yet this Vine luxuriates, and supplies 

 its owner with plenty of fruit, which is used generally for wine-mak- 

 ing. Without discussing the matter further, is there anything we can 

 learn from these trees, which are more productive of stronger consti- 

 tution, and less liable to disease than the finest-trained trees under the 

 care of some of our most distinguished gardeners 1 From experience, 

 I believe that the firmness of the soil prevents over-luxuriant growth, 

 inducing the roots to become a mass of healthy fibre, instead of their 

 sending out large soft feeders, drawing up large quantities of water, 

 which remains in the branches till the short dark days of winter. 

 No fruit buds are matured ; the buds start early into growth long 

 before they are safe from frost. The sap, which has been flowing 

 freely, receives a check; nothing is seen at the time, but before summer 

 has advanced very far, a large limb (perhaps the healthiest looking in 

 the tree) dies off suddenly ; it is cut out, other branches die off in the 

 same way, and the poor tree is sadly deformed. Cases similar to this 

 are met with all over the country, and yet we have found no prevent- 

 ive. One thing I would suggest to young planters is, — never accept a 

 tree which has been often cut back in the nursery, or one which has 

 not been properly cut. When pieces have been left, the branches are 

 always liable to die back where these pieces have been attached. 

 When the cut is clean and properly done, the bark will grow over, 

 and the wound will heal up nicely. When planting is done, never use 

 manure (except for mulching, to keep out frost or drought) ; let all the 

 soil, after it has been prepared, be made as firm as a rammer can make 

 it, — if stones are plentiful, so much the better ; the soil may be placed 

 over the roots, and made only moderately firm. Endeavour to get the 

 tree tO start freely, and use the knife only where it cannot be avoided. 

 When the roots have run a little, they will come in contact with the 

 hard rammed soil, and will throw out fibre in all directions, which 

 will cause the tree to grow sturdy, and the young wood will become 

 very hard. When any shoot takes the lead, and is likely to mono- 

 polise the whole growth, take off a joint or two at top, and a 

 number of small shoots will spring up; train them over the empty space, 



