244 VILLA GARDENING part hi 



cation of manure in some form. Liquid manure is specially valu- 

 able for exhaiLsted fruit trees of all kinds, to be applied at any 

 time. A very good way of using it is to make holes with a crow- 

 bar of suitable depth according to the position of the roots, and 

 pour the liquid manure in the holes until enough has been given 

 to moisten and enrich the soil surrounding the roots. This will 

 hardly be accomplished at one application. 



Pruning Trained Trees is chiefly done in summer, but 

 there will always be the trimming and polishing of snags and 

 spin's to be done in winter, and the renewing of ties in the case 

 of espaliers or wall trees. In training trees the branches must 

 have room to grow. Whatever the ligature is comprised of, it 

 must not be tied too tightly. I have generally used small sprays 

 of the Golden Willow, which will last very well for one year, and 

 may be grown and made ornamental in every place, even the 

 smallest, as a wet or even a very damp situation is not essential to 

 their culture for this work, becau.se the smaller and tougher they 

 are the l^etter. 



Heading Do^vN Old Trees. — This sometimes turns out 

 successful. A young head is placed on old shoulders, whicli adds 

 to the tree's usefulness and life. To make its success certain, 

 there must be a good deal of latent vigour in the roots when 

 operated on. Occasionally we see trees with an appearance of 

 being prematiu-ely stunted, as if the sap vessels were contracted 

 and unable to carry on the work. Cutting off the head will induce 

 new vigour into the tree by setting up a more rapid circulation. 

 The height at which the branches must be cut depends upon the 

 kind of tree operated on, and each case should be considered on 

 its own merits. 



Insects and Diseases. — The chief of these are American 

 or cotton blight, the Codlin moth, and canker. There are 

 other less injurious pests, such as aphides and gnibs, which curl 

 up and eat the leaves, but they yield readily to tlie usual reme- 

 dies, which have been found efi"ectual in the destruction of 

 other grubs. The American blight when it gets established in 

 a garden or orchard is a serioas evil. I had it some years 

 ago, but managed to clear it out by rubbing Gishurst compound 

 into all the cracks and crevices where it had effected a lodgment, 

 and by using the garden engine freely on the trees in summer. 

 The same treatment wiU destroy it elsewhere. Paraffin oil 

 blended with soft soap or Gishurst -n-ill probably make the latter 

 more destructive, and there is great virtue in cleanliness. Scarcely 

 any one uses enough water over the foliage of their fruit trees. 

 Where the water is laid on to the garden, and there are plugs at 



