32 NOTES UPON 



are fan-traiued, but some are trained horizontally. It is seldom 

 the case that summer laterals can be depended on for horizontals, 

 and therefore one pair of branches can only be obtained in a 

 season ; but the soil in the Royal Gardens at Frogmore is so 

 favourable, that as many as three, and in some instances four 

 courses of horizontals have been originated in one season, and 

 all sufficiently vigorous. 



Under circumstances of management, which are fortunately 

 less common now than formerly, a soil which proves so favourable 

 for the growth of fruit-trees would very soon be the cause of 

 rapidly hastening their ruin. But in these gardens they are 

 managed on good principles ; and although, in the present 

 season, various kinds have not borne so abundantly as they were 

 prepared to do previously to the severe frosts late in spring, yet 

 the good condition of the trees can be easily perceived ; for they 

 are furnished with fruit-spurs at the base as well as at the extre- 

 mities. This is to be attributed to the practice of preventing 

 the excessive flow of sap to the top, by commencing to stop the 

 summer shoots on the upper part of the tree before the lower. 

 Were this to be neglected, the sap in these vigorous trees would 

 rush to the higher parts so much in preference to the lower, 

 that anything like an equal distribution would be out of the 

 question. 



There is a well-selected assortment of Pears on walls. The 

 Van Mons-Leon le Clerc was producing an excellent crop ; some 

 of the fruits were seven inches in length. This sort requires the 

 young shoots from spurs to be left unshortened, for on these it 

 bears ; and when they have once borne, they must be cut back to 

 make room for others. Chaumontels were very good, as were 

 also Glout Morceaus, on a west aspect. The Old Colmar and 

 Crassane do not bear well, it was said, in these gardens, even 

 in good seasons ; but as these sorts sometimes bear well when 

 old, although not readily when young, the trees just mentioned 

 may be expected to produce better as they get older. The 

 Brown Beurre, another old sort, on the contrary, succeeds well. 

 Knight's Monarch Pear, unquestionably true, was very fine. It 

 was stated that the fruit of this excellent sort continues in per- 

 fection for six or eight weeks from the time it is first fit for use. 

 It has been kept till March in dry sand. 



At this place, as well as elsewhere throughout the country, 

 many kinds of Pears, as well as Apples, had been attacked by a 

 sort of smut, a species of mildew of the Genus Spiloctro, an 



