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JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 10, 1 



It is desirable to plant young trees in preference to those 

 which are large, though the latter are calculated to give effect 

 at once. Removing large trees is waste of money. There is 

 the preparing of the tree for removal, transporting it to its 

 destination, staking or otherwise fixing it when planted, mulch- 

 ing the ground around, watering afterwards, perhaps throughout 

 the summer, and all this costs as much as would prepare the 

 Boil, and plant twenty different species, including the purchase 

 of the trees. I grant that the effect of large trees is striking 

 and immediate; but even if they thrive, which is always a 

 matter of doubt, they bear no comparison with young trees 

 planted in prepared soil. Take the large tree, it lingers on 

 from the first, producing year after year a still more sickly and 

 feeble vegetation, until it finally decays ; but the young tree 

 even from the first season makes strong and vigorous shoots, 

 attaining yearly a still greater degree of perfection and beauty. 

 Yearly the young tree makes ample and visible return for the 

 care and trouble bestowed upon it, while a large tree often re- 

 mains a constant reproach to the transplanter. Every prac- 

 tical gardener knows that in almost all situations, if he be 

 allowed to prepare the soil properly and select trees suitable, 

 he can produce a tree in seven years fit for any purpose in 

 landscape scenery, quite equal in bulk to any transplantable 

 tree, and having the advantage of being firmly rooted in the 

 soil, and in circumstances to increase rapidly every year. — 

 — G. Abbey. 



ORCHARD-HOUSE TREES IN POTS. 



Many failures are owing to the wood growing too strong, and 

 it, consequently, being imperfectly ripened, the fruit-buds are 

 apt to fall off immaturely. The best remedy for this is to lessen 

 water towards autumn, and to lift the pots out of the soil, 

 breaking any roots that pass through into the ground, and then 

 watering and syringing a little to prevent the leaves flagging. 

 This, and the pinching-in during summer, will ensure well- 

 ripened wood ; and strength for the swelling buds to neutral- 

 ise the roots lost by lifting the pots, can be communicated by 

 picking away with a stick some of the surface soil of the pots 

 and adding rich surface compost in the autumn. Fresh fibres 

 will form in that during the winter, and will much help the 

 swelling buds in the spring. 



A correspondent, " Inquibeb," says the trees he has have 

 weak shoots, and the fruit shrivels. In this case weakness, 

 instead of strength of growth, has chiefly to be contended 

 against. I think it very likely that the burnt appearance at 

 the ends of the shoots is owing either to mildew or insects, or 

 to a weak, unhealthy condition of the plants. This condition 

 I have seen produced by giving the plants too much rank ma- 

 nure, either in the solid or liquid state. A man may be in- 

 jured as easily by eating too much rich food as by not having 

 enough of plain nourishing food to sustain the wear and tear 

 of life. Without knowing more of the treatment of your 

 plants than you tell, it is impossible to say what is the cause 

 of their present weakly condition ; but in default of that evi- 

 dence I would be inclined to say that your trees are suffering 

 from want of nourishment. 



Fruit trees in pots, it must be recollected, have such little 

 space to root in, that they are almost wholly dependant on 

 what you do for them. If the pots are set on shelves, or 

 merely on the surface of the ground, they are still more de- 

 pendant than when partially plunged in the soil. Independently 

 of the roots that will find their way out of the pot in the latter 

 case, and which help the swelling fruit, the protecting of the 

 pot helps to keep the roots in a more equal state as respects 

 temperature and moisture. Even then, however, in bright 

 weather, they will want watering often, say once a-day, and in 

 duller weather every other day during the growing season. 

 Deficient watering is one cause of the trees in pots frequently 

 failing. I have alluded to the ripening of the wood in the 

 autumn. If the trees are lifted to help the ripening of wood, 

 water must be given afterwards to prevent anything like 

 shrivelling. Even in winter the roots, though they may be 

 rather dry, should not be dry. I have known buds and young 

 fruit fall in spring, because the roots had been too dry and in 

 operative in winter. Frequent dryness in summer will not 

 only cause the fruit to fall, but also render the trees unhealthy. 

 One of the pleasures of the culture of fruit trees in pots is the 

 almost constant demands they make on your attention. It is 

 a wise provision in nature, that we become most attached to 

 that which demands most of our care. When this somewhat 

 nursing attachment between us and our fruit trees in pots 



ceases or languishes, it is about time to think of dissolving 

 the connection. Watering, therefore, must be an element of 

 pleasure to the amateur who wishes to succeed with fruit trees 

 in pots. Not only so, but in such limited space the water 

 must be richer than common pond or rain water. This rich- 

 ness is easily given by mulching or top-dressing. 



I have alluded to top-dressing in autumn. By the time the 

 trees are showing bloom, as much soot or superphosphate as 

 can be held between the thumb and three fingers may be 

 strewed over the surface of each pot of 16 inches, or as much 

 guano as may be taken or held between the thumb and fore- 

 finger, and this may be repeated in a week, the watering wash- 

 ing it in gradually. As the season becomes warmer, however, 

 a mulching of rotten dung an inch or two deep may be packed 

 over the surface of the pot, and whilst some nourishment will 

 be obtained, the mulching as long as it remains will lessen 

 evaporation, and therefore save such frequent waterings. This 

 mulching may need repeating again during the summer, for 

 it soon wastes away in such circumstances. Even with this 

 mulching, clear manure waterings, weak rather than strong, 

 will be an advantage if given at every second or third water- 

 ing. For instance, a bushel of horse-droppings may be steeped 

 eight days in a thirty-sis-gallon barrel, half a bushel of sheep 

 or deer droppings, a peck of soot, and a little lime for clearing, 

 2 lbs. of superphosphate, and 1 lb. of guano ; the two last to 

 be used at once, the soot to stand twenty-four hours. About 

 half the quantity will do for the next brewing, as some virtues 

 will remain after the first watering. I am thus particular, 

 because over-rich waterings are as bad as weak ones, but in 

 an opposite way, Mulching the surface is one of the easiest 

 ways for giving manure waterings, especially when the water- 

 ing is done with a coarse rose, and when time can be spared, 

 it is also better for the plants, as more air is taken down with 

 the water from a rose to tha roots. Unless on fresh mulching, 

 however, it is seldom I use the rose, just on account of the 

 time it takes to let the water down. The spout is used instead, 

 though not so good. 



Now, if, after reading this, you come to the conclusion that 

 your trees are suffering from poverty, I would advise the scrap- 

 ing off as much of the surface soil, and breaking the surface 

 with a pointed stick of what was left as would not hurt any of 

 the active fibres, then add a little, say an inch, of nice, fresh, 

 rough, mellow loam, and then top-dress with half-rotten dung, 

 say horse-droppings that had been thrown into a heap to heat 

 and destroy all the com that might be in them. Afterwards 

 water for a week with clear water, and then alternately with 

 weak manure water, or scatter a pinch of strong manure on 

 the mulching, to be washed through it, as previously stated. 

 If, as suspected, poverty is the cause, the trees will improve 

 under this regimen before the autumn, and lay the foundation 

 for future success, and thus you will bo doing the best what- 

 ever the ultimate destination of the trees. 



I have presupposed that the roots are sufficiently drained, 

 for stagnant moisture will cause the appearances you describe, 

 as well as want of wate#and poverty. I also presuppose that 

 the tops of the trees are kept clean by frequent syringings after 

 the fruit has fairly set. 



As you have such a nice house it would be a pity to take it 

 down again ; and as for the trees, I fear, if your description is 

 correct, that you will scarcely make a market of them " at 

 almost any price ;" but I see no reason why you should not suc- 

 ceed with them in pots if you give them the requisite, and that 

 is very constant, attention. Even the watering alone takes a 

 great deal of time and care. If the trees were planted out, they 

 would be more independent of your care, but they would also 

 be less under your control. 



If the trees have suffered from poverty the above treatment 

 would be the best preparation for planting them out. The 

 best time for doing it would be as soon as the fruit was gathered, 

 and the best mode, if the trees were still to be grown as dwarf 

 bushes and standards, would be merely to break the outside of 

 the ball a little, so as to let the fibres out into the soil, and the 

 fresher the soil the better. 



If, however, you have any reason to believe that the 

 trees have suffered from stagnant moisture, and the soil from 

 that cause has a sodden claggy appearance, or it has become of 

 an unhealthy character from a superabundance of rich water- 

 ings or dressings, it would be advisable to wait a little longer 

 until the leaves began to change colour, and then in a large 

 tub wash away all the old soil, and lay the roots out anew 

 in fresh loam, and keep the house rather close and the trees 

 syringed for a couple of weeks afterwards, and give a little 



