256 



SOUTHERN HORTICULTURE. 



sufficient reasons, on which to predicate such 

 conclusions. 



As far as climate is concerned, all that de- 

 ciduous" fruit trees require, is a sufficient 

 length of spring and summer to bring forth 

 and mature their different fruits, and then a 

 sufficient season of rest in which to recruit 

 their wasted energies and prepare for another 

 spring and summer's fruit bearing. And 

 both of these appropriate seasons we are 

 blessed with, to a far better degree than are 

 many other parts of the United States. 



Our failure, then, to raise good fruits, cer- 

 tainly cannot be fairly attributed to the un- 

 suitableness of our climate. If we would be 

 successful in horticultural matters, we must 

 turn our attention most decidedly to our soil. 

 Trees must be fed as well as human beings ; 

 and it is well known, that in order to be 

 healthy and vigorous, strong and active, hu- 

 man beings must have the kind of food that 

 will give development to those faculties. It 

 is just so with fruit trees. We might as well 

 expect anything else from an apple tree, as 

 to expect it to bear good apples without the 

 proper food in quantity and quality to enable 

 it to do so. The young roots of a tree, as so 

 many mouths, will take up the soluble food 

 within their reach, and carry it into every 

 part of the tree in the shape of sap ; and in 

 this way alone can a tree be supported. It is 

 perfectly obvious, then, that if we expect to 

 have healthy fruit-bearing trees, our trees 

 must have the right kind of food ; and in my 

 opinion there is but very little of this right 

 kind of feod to be found in the soil anywhere 

 near Mobile, as a general thing. 



How, then, shall we get the proper kind 

 of food for our fruit trees ? and how shall we 

 administer it ? The most reliable answer to 

 the above questions, is, to find out from ex- 

 periments ; but in the absence of such ex- 

 periments, I should, as food for fruit trees 

 generally, prepare a compost, as follows : To 



one cart load of the best soil, or swamp muck, 

 I could get, I would add one bushel of good 

 wood ashes, half a bushel of shell lime, and, 

 for sandy soils, half a cart load of clay — and 

 in the same proportion for all the compost 1 

 might want; a small quantity of common 

 salt might also be added. Let all the mate- 

 rials be well mixed together, and after lying 

 in a heap for a few weeks it will be fit for 

 use. 



To apply the above food properly, I would 

 prepare the holes in which I intended to plant 

 my trees, from 05 to 4 feet square, (the larger 

 the better,) and about from 6 to 8 [16 to IS] 

 inches deep ; then put in compost, or the 

 surrounding soil if good, until the hole is 

 one-third full, leaving the middle somewhat 

 the highest. On this compost or good soil, I 

 would set my tree, having all bruised roots 

 previously cut, so as entirely to remove the 

 injured part, with a smooth slanting cut at 

 the bottom of the affected root. Let every 

 root be placed, as far as possible, in a natural 

 position, without any cramming or jamming ; 

 then throw on compost, mixing it well with 

 all the roots, until the hole is level full ; then 

 draw on some of the surrounding soil, so as 

 to leave the work a little above the level of 

 the ground around, and leave it rather in the 

 basin shape, so that the rain when it falls may 

 settle down among the roots. I would also 

 plant my trees very shallow ; if the upper 

 roots were covered an inch or two I should be 

 satisfied, as no fruit tree can do well unless 

 its roots are near the surface of the ground. 



After pursuing the foregoing plan, I should 

 conclude that I had given my trees some good 

 food to start on, and that I had put it in a 

 position to be made available by the young 

 roots, whenever their appetites led them to 

 partake of it. 



As my trees advanced in age and size, I 

 would continue to feed them on similar food, 

 made somewhat stronger, as they advanced in 



