532 



DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



when graftod on the C triangularis, or Pereskia; 

 but C. Jeiikinsonii und hucli like require no Ibreijin 

 Fteni to lilt llii-ni into iiolit-e. I liave seen an Epi- 

 phyllum Inincaliint tlial was fjrartoii on tl\e Pereskia, 

 the liranelies ol' \\ hicli covered a space lour feet in 

 diameter, bcautil'ully <iarni^lied all around. 



I have no doubt but <;uano will prove a most ex- 

 cellent, as well as uscl'ul manure lor the whole 

 family of cacti. I have not sullieiently tested it, 

 to state anything delinite on its merits respcctinfr 

 the present penera. — D.wid Hunter, Gardener to 

 Robert Jiennie, Esq. Lodi, Netv- Jersey. 



QcEniEs FRo.M Maine. — J. J. Downing, Esq. 

 I have read with great pleasure and some care, 

 your book on Fruits am\ Fruit Trees, also from the 

 first, the Horticulturist. 



Already have these works awakened a lively 

 interest in many minds, in this northern and eastern 

 section of country. Among the untiring and zeal- 

 ous agents in the dissemination of clioice fruits, 

 is Col. H. Little, of this city, well known 

 to you, and whose labours will not fail ere long, 

 to be duly appreciated. 



The desire for choice fruits being excited, the 

 very natural and most important inquiry arises, 

 how shall such be successfully cultivated ? 

 Notwithstanding the excellent directions contain- 

 ed in your work on the nature, condition and ;>re- 

 ;>arrtiio« of soils, there is still felt in particular 

 cases the need of adilitional information. 



In your treatise on fruits and trees, page 44, you 

 say : " no fruit tree should be planted in a hole less 

 tha» from 18 inches to 2 feet deep,*' &c. Mr. 

 Eaton in his communication on transplanting trees 

 in the January No. of the Horticulturist, says: 



" deep plowing is highly beneficial, and the 



holes for the trees should be from 20 inches to 2 

 feet deep." In the critique on Mr. Eaton, in the 

 March No., page 43S, it is further directed " to 

 subsoil plow to the depth of IS or 20 inches," 

 &c. 



Now, 30 far as the depth is concerned, all this 

 is important, but overlooks, as it seems to me, the 

 following considerations, namely, whether the site 

 for an orchard be a level on an undulating surface; 

 the subsoil wet or dry; a gravelly pan or compact 

 clay, and a warm or co/rf^soil. 



Suppose the site for an orchard, a level or nearly 

 so, with a clay loam 10 or 12 inches deep; a com- 

 pact clay subsoil, and the whole Avhat is usually 

 called a cold soil, r.s is often the case here, and 

 such is the only spot for the orchard. I should 

 not deem it wise to subsoil plough, or to spade 

 with the view of making a soil, in part of the sub- 

 soil, and at so low an elevation. On the contrary, 

 I would advise that the loam be thrown up by 

 backfurrowing in one direction, until the top soil 

 be 18 inches or 2 feet deep above the subsoil. 



By this process, warm and dry ritlges would be 

 obtained, on which to set the trees. 



[Subsoiling or trenching is of the greatest bene- 

 fit in all soils, whether warm or cold, provided the 

 land is, or can be ivell drained. If the land is lev- 

 el, and lies wet, deepening the soil is worse than 

 useles, unless it can previously be well drained — 

 Sloping lands will not of course need this, but 



level soils with a retentive subsoil, should, if pos- 

 sible, always be drained by a few deep drains be- 

 fore subsoiling them. — Ed.] 



If we supp(jse the soil anil subsoil of such a site, 

 to be warm and ilry, then the subsoil plough may 

 be useil. 



Again, if the surface be undulating, anil the soil 

 a dec)) gravelly loam 18 inches or 2 feet deeji, I 

 would use the subsoil plough only to loosen the 

 soil. 



There are other cases I might suppose, but the 

 above are sulTicient for my object, which is to show 

 that the diUerent conditions of soil require dilfer- 

 ent modes of preparation. On the presumption 

 that the requisite knowledge for i)re|iaring the 

 ground according to the site, the nature and con- 

 dition of the soil was general, my suggestions 

 would be quite useless. ]\Iy remarks, liowever, 

 are based on the belief, that most people have not 

 more knowledge in the one case than in the 

 other. 



In this climate, would you advise to plant the 

 apple tree (on a gentle northern slope) 25 or 30 

 feet apart each way, the ground being wholly de- 

 voted to the orchard? 



[The northern slope is not objectionable for the 

 apple tree. Thirty-five feet is, we think, suffi- 

 ciently close for apple trees. If planted 25 feet, 

 it is not sufficient that the whole strength of the 

 soil is given up to the trees; it will also need 

 very frequent and plentiful dressings with manure 

 to keep the trees in good bearing condition, or 

 they will decline in a much greater ratio than the 

 distance would indicate, when planted 40 feet 

 apart. — Ed.] 



Do the roots of the pear strike downwards; and 

 should the subsoil be so compact as to prevent 

 their entrance? 



[The roots of the pear will not strike down- 

 ward unless there is sufficiently good soil to invite 

 them, and when this is the case, where there is 

 plenty of sun and air, and good drainage, it is not 

 injurious. — Ed.] 



What the distance apart for pears, and what for 

 plums on a like slope as the apple? [Twenty 

 feet for pears, 16 to IS feet for plums. — Ed.] 



What is the probable age of the pear on the 

 moutain ash and thorn? [From 12 to 20 years.] 



On which would you advise to insert the pear? 

 [On neither if you can get pear stocks. Either one 

 is a tolerable substitute.] 



What is the best size of the ash and thorn for 

 this purpose? [Quite small, so as to be grafted in 

 or near the ground.] 



Should the mountain ash, like the thorn, be en- 

 grafted or budded close to the ground? Would 

 you advise to insert the pear into the tops of the 

 mountain ash when of considerable size, say one 

 anda half inch in diameter or more? [We thi'ik 

 the pear would be short lived if grafted in the 

 head of a mountain ash tree.] 



Are there any among the choice kinds of pears 



that would probably succeed on the mountain ash 



in this climate, that otherwise woulil not? [No 



doubt several ofthebeurres would do so, but expert- 



I ence is wanted on this point.] 



Would you recommend, in an orchard of pears 



