TO HIS GARDENER 28 



have paid for the trouble and have encreased the demand next 

 year, Besides the advancing a year of such small or large fruits 

 as you had planted. Your father's Garden is well sheltered 

 by the houses and rising Ground from the one hand and by 

 the high hedge of the other, and he has water at hand. So he 

 may raise any thing in it the climate will allow of. He has 

 crowded it with fruit trees, too thick even for them to bear as 

 they would, espicially when a little older, as in that warm 

 place they advance very fast. By this he loses the under- 

 growth also by which he might make double what he makes by 

 the fruit from the trees, espicially they being of the most 

 common fruit which would answer as well in the most exposed 

 part of his field. So warm a lying spot should either have 

 been employed entirely in double crops for a Kitchen or if for 

 fruit it should have been in kinds every spot wont produce, 

 and for that reason yielded more. I incline to think mulberys 

 would have done of either side the walk at the lower end, as 

 being warm and covered from all severe weather. If so, one 

 tree of them would have yielded as much money as half a dozen 

 of the common apples now in it and would have taken no more 

 room than one of the present. I am convinced that if Mul- 

 berys will do any where in Scotld: they will there, it being 

 entirely covered from Weather and yet open to the Sun, 

 except in so far as shaded by apple trees. The most of the 

 trees now there may be kept if you incline to it till other 

 more valuable fruits are brought up to bearing. I am also 

 convinced Quinces will do very well of either side that hedge 

 at bottom of your father's Garden, as it is moist tho' not wett. 

 Of north side they must be at such a distance as not to be 

 shaded from the South Sun by the hedge. I would gladly know 

 if you had 4 good bearing Mulberys of south side the lower 

 walk in the Garden, if you don't think they would yield more 

 than all the fruit trees now in that Garden. If so you would 

 have all the rest of it to the good, and what it can be made 

 yield more than it does now, would be so much got. I don't 

 mention this as recommending the presently rooting out all 

 the fruit trees and planting Mulberys or Quinces, but I think 

 you may thin them by taking out some of the worst kinds or 

 worst Bearing, and put in upon the south side of the lower 



