DUTCH APRICOT FOECING. 249 



do so, I wrote to Haarlem for an Apricot-tree, as I could find 

 none here suitable for the purpose. The results were so satis- 

 factory, that even the English methods of forcing, with which I 

 subsequently became acquainted, do not appear to me such as to 

 supersede the Dutch. 



It had been considered as very doubtful, by the most experi- 

 enced gardeners, whether the climate of Northern Germany 

 would admit of forcing establishments similar to those of Holland. 

 The results will show how far I have succeeded in solving this 

 problem. 



I hope by the publication of these experiments to render a 

 service to German gardeners, in recording the details of the 

 process. I believe, indeed, that it may be known to some ; for 

 I see it is adverted to in the excellent work entitled, " Practical 

 Introduction to the Forcing of Fruits," by C. F. Fintelmann, 

 p. 12G ; but I do not recollect to have seen it actually practised 

 in any German garden. 



For the first experiment, a wooden pit (represented in the 

 accompanying plate) was built, and in the beginning of March an 

 Apricot-tree was planted in the box («) prepared for it. The soil 

 made use of consisted of a mixture in equal parts of rotten wood 

 and garden loam ; and I have found that this mixture is pecu- 

 liarly suitable for the Apricot, especially during the period of 

 forcing. The tree taken for forcing had been, from the earliest 

 age, transplanted every two years, and had thus formed copious 

 fibrous roots ; in a word, it is essential that such a tree should 

 have its mass of roots in the best possible condition, in order that 

 it may bear transplanting without injury. 



The great object was, now, to produce good fruiting wood : for 

 this purpose, at the end of May, all superfluous or badly placed 

 shoots were stopped before they had completed their growth, and 

 removed in this state, an operation which enabled the obtaining 

 an equal distribution of wood. The tree now threw its whole 

 strength into the remaining branches. The strong shoots, and 

 in general all those which appeared unfit for bearing, were then 

 shortened to a third of their length. The result was the produc- 

 tion of a great number of strong, healthy, fruiting spurs, which 

 had shot out with great vigour from the eyes of the shortened 

 bi'anches. Again, many of these spurs were yet sacrificed to the 

 pruning-knife ; for the tree would have been unable to bring to 

 perfect maturity so great a mass of bearing wood, notwithstanding 

 several waterings of liquid manure with which it was strengthened. 



s 2 



