29 AN AMERICAN FARMER IN ENGLAND. 



grown inland upon very exposed sites, have the same pecu 

 liarities with those in the vicinity of the sea ; that is, they are 

 slow of growth and scrubby. 



Another important circumstance to be noticed, as distin 

 guishing the apple districts, is in the nature of their soils. 

 These are found, however varying otherwise, invariably to 

 have a large proportion of lime, and generally of potash, in 

 their chemical composition. With reference to this I quote 

 the observations of Mr. Frederick Falkner.* 



&quot; Great light has been lately thrown upon the adaptation of soils to 

 particular plants, and it is now easy to account for the predilection, so to 

 speak, of the apple-tree for soils that abound in clays and marls. All 

 deciduous trees require a considerable proportion of potash for the elab 

 oration of their juices in the leaves, and are prosperous, or otherwise, in 

 proportion to the plentiful or scanty supply of that substance in the soil. 

 Liebig has shown, that the acids generated in plants are always in union 

 with alkaline or earthy bases, and cannot be produced without their 

 presence. . . . Now the apple-tree, during its development, produces 

 a great quantity of acid; and therefore, in a corresponding degree, requires 

 alkaline, and, probably, earthy bases also, as an indispensable condition to 

 the existence of the fruit.&quot; 



Again, the same writer : 



&quot; It cannot be denied that ammonia, and also the humus of decaying 

 dung, must have some influence on the growth of the tree in such soils, 

 and also in the development of the fruit; but it is most certain, at the 

 same time, that these alone would be perfectly inefficient for the pro- 

 .cluction of the fruit without the co-operation of (the alkaline bases.) The 

 size, and perhaps the flavour of the fruit, may be somewhat affected by the 

 organic part of the manure, but its very existence depends upon the 

 presence in the soil of a sufficient quantity of those inorganic or mineral 

 substances which are indispensable to the formation of acids.&quot; 



But it is also found by analysis that lime enters into the 

 composition of the wood of the apple-tree in very large pro- 



* Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, vol. iv. p. 881. 



