510 THE GARDENER. [Nov. 



here were Espaliers, planted at 2 J feet from tlie box; many of tliem 

 must have stood from the time the garden was first made, judg- 

 ing from the immense size of their trunks. The hedged-in appearance 

 the quarters of the garden, it may well be imagined, must have had 

 with these Espaliers presenting the appearance as of an unbroken 

 hedge ail round the borders, continued until about seven years 

 ago, when I received the sanction of my employer to eradicate them, 

 which being thoroughly done, the ground was trenched to the depth 

 of 2J feet, this being done early in the autumn, as the old worn-out 

 trees bore scarcely any fruit. The ground having stood for a time in 

 order to allow it to subside before planting the young fruit-trees, and 

 having made a careful selection of the most approved sorts of both 

 classes — viz., Apples and Pears — the distances were measured off, begin- 

 ning with the first tree at 3 J feet from end of border, and 4 J from box 

 in front of border, and 9 feet between each tree. Before planting a 

 stake was driven firmly into the ground, to which the tree after plant- 

 ing was secured. The arrangement followed was to plant first a dwarf 

 Apple tree, and next a pyramidal-trained Pear, and so on alternately. 

 The manner of planting has been as follows : no pits were made, the 

 roots were carefully spread on the surface of the soil, and maiden 

 loam, of which we happened to have a good stock in reserve, was em- 

 ployed in the planting to about the depth of 6 inches ; on the top of 

 this an inch or two of well-rotted manure was laid for mulching, and 

 this was covered with a thin sprinkling of soil. All the planting was 

 finished before the end of JSTovember. The following season some of 

 the trees carried fruit, and ever since nothing could be more satis- 

 factory than their growth and crops of fruit. The growth of wood 

 each season is moderate but well matured, the fruit-buds being very 

 plump. The borders are never dug with a spade, but annually get a 

 gentle forking over with a steel digging-fork. The mounds round the 

 trees, where the great mass of roots is, are never disturbed. The char- 

 acter of the soil is strong stiff loam, having a considerable proportion 

 of clay. I am strongly of opinion that were these trees grown upon 

 the old principle of planting in pits, they would by this time be 

 showing undoubted symptoms of canker in the wood ; as with scarcely 

 a single exception the fruit-trees in the orchard are affected with it, 

 the character of the soil being much of the same nature as that of the 

 kitchen-garden. If it were not for the fear of trespassing too much 

 on your valuable space, I might give you an example or two of the 

 productiveness of these trees. Out of 35 varieties of Apple, Sturmer 

 Pippin, of which I have two planted, are the only weakly ones, and of 

 23 varieties of Pears all are vigorous. H. R. 



Fife. , -. 



