1870.] THE CULTIVATION OF HARDY FRUITS. 541 



time I remove all the worst-placed and unhealthy-looking buds (if 

 any) when they are about f of an inch in length. The next time all 

 the buds are removed until only four or five are left upon a shoot of 15 

 or 18 inches. The third and last time all the young shoots are re- 

 moved except two or three, which are so disposed over the shoot of last 

 year as to leave enough to carry on the crop, and provide enough 

 wood to give a good selection for the succeeding year. In perform- 

 ing this operation care is always taken to retain one of the buds at the 

 base of each shoot, so that there may be no possibility of having at the 

 end of a few years long bare stems, such as are always to be met with 

 in trees managed after the method recommended by Mr Simpson at 

 p. 500 for last month. The method he claims credit for having 

 discovered, and which, he informs us, is now becoming general, is not 

 new, being as old, I think, as he is himself. I know that it is 25 years 

 since it was adopted at a certain place to which I could point, and the 

 result has been disappointment and failure in every sense. For a few 

 years they did very well, and appeared to flourish much in the same 

 way as those at Wortley; but before they were 15 years of age they 

 were useless for practical puposes, the whole constitution of the tree 

 having given way from no other cause than general debility, engendered 

 by over-exertion in youth — much in the same way as human nature will 

 give way in the bloom of manhood from the very same cause. If we 

 want to succeed as horticulturists, we must study nature very closely, 

 and bring our knowledge of things known to bear upon our everyday 

 occupation, so that when we adopt unnatural means to accomplish a 

 certain purpose, we may employ a counteracting power to remedy 

 the evil effects of the unnatural means used. The trees to which 

 reference has been made above are long since removed, and young 

 trees have taken their place, which are subjected to a very different 

 style of management, and promise fair to live, flourish, and pro- 

 duce good fruit for generations to come, as all good trees of either 

 the Peach or Nectarine ought to do if properly managed. Most of 

 the Peaches here have been full-bearing trees for the last 50 and 

 GO years ; and the health of the trees, and the quantity and quality 

 of the fruit produced, will bear comparison with that from any trees 

 old or young, in the kingdom. I must not, however, be blamed for 

 egotism, as I claim no credit for such results, the entire credit beino- 

 due to my venerable predecessor, Mr Shiels, who, I am glad to say, 

 still lives to rejoice in the labours of his early days, and who, in his 

 visits here, seems proud to know that the result of his judicious man- 

 agement is still making its mark upon the place which he so long 

 filled with credit. Evidence such as this should not be thrown aside 

 for the hastily-arrived-at conclusions of one or two summers' practice. 



