ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



XXIII. — On the Management of Fruit- Tree Borders. By 

 Mr. Eobert Reid, C.M.H.S., Gardener to Mrs. Clark of 

 Noblethorp, near Barnsley. 



(Communicated April 29, 1816.) 



Planting fruit trees on solid floors of stone or other hard 

 material has been recommended by some of the most eminent 

 horticulturists as a certain method of preventing the roots from 

 penetrating into the subsoil, and keeping them near tlie surface, 

 whereby they receive all the benefits derivable from the influence 

 of the atmosphere on dressings of manure. But there are other 

 great advantages attending the above methods of planting which 

 have not been pointed out by any writer on gardening, that I am 

 aware of, and which I consider well deserving the attention of 

 the society. The gardens at this place were made entirely new 

 in 1839-40, previous to which time I had not paid much atten- 

 tion to this method of planting, but on consulting a friend * 

 I was induced to adopt it ; I accordingly had every tree, both 

 wall and standard, planted on floors of stone, which consisted of 

 thin free-stone flags laid in beds of mortar, and firmly jointed 

 with the same : the floors for the standards were 3 feet square, 

 those for the wall trees were made 6 feet in length, parallel with 

 the wall, and 3 feet in width, from the wall to the border ; they 

 were made nearly level, and placed about 1 foot below the sur- 

 face of the border. When the trees were planted the floors were 

 first covered with about 6 inches of soil, and 8 or 9 inches over 

 the roots, raising little mounds over them to prevent the drought 

 from penetrating too deep during the summer. 



On the second summer after being planted the Peach trees 

 grew with great vigour, many of the shoots measuring 4 feet 

 in length and upwards, which induced me to examine the state 

 of their roots in the autumn when they had finished their growth ; 

 I found many fine roots which had grown nearly 7 feet from the 

 stem of the tree, and 4 feet beyond the outer edge of the stone 

 floor : on finding them in this prosperous state I had a trench 

 opened opposite every tree, and cut the roots back close to the 

 edge of the floor all round. The following summer the growth 

 was not, of course, so vigorous, but strong enough to produce a 

 sufficient supply of fine bearing wood, likewise ripening a few 

 fruit on each tree perfectly. Last autumn (the fifth season) I 



* Mr. Eobert Errington. 



