370 General Notices. 



with a thick growth of trees, including spruces, pines, hem- 

 locks, rhododendrons and kalmias. It is reached from the 

 cottage entrance by a flight of steps, and from the opposite 

 end of the house by a steep but circuitous walk down over 

 the rocks. It is completely sheltered on all sides. 



Mr. Downer's collection of pears is not extensive 'as regards 

 variety, as he has confined himself, very properly, to the 

 most select kinds ; but the number of trees is large, and they 

 are planted about eight feet apart each way. The oldest 

 trees, planted eight years, are remarkably fine specimens. 

 They are trained in the pyramidal form, though not branched 

 so low as we like to see them ; but in other respects they 

 are fine examples of judicious pruning. All of them, with 

 few exceptions, are full of fruit, and in September must have 

 a splendid appearance. Already the Duchess, Beurre Diel, 

 Andrews, Bartlett, and others, had swelled up their fruit of 

 good size, from the nature of the situation, which the drought 

 affects but slightly. Mr. Downer, however, does not leave 

 all to nature ; the contents of the cesspool are poured upon 

 the trees as often as it accumulates, and its efi'ects are plainly 

 visible. The success shows plainly, that to produce fine 

 fruit, a trenched soil, well enriched, and well supplied with 

 moisture, is the situation for pears ; without all these, only 

 mediocre fruit can be expected. 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



Art. I. General JVotices. 



Manuring Fruit Trees. — The Dutch, who are admirable gardeners, 

 had, in the Great Exhibition, an instrument called " Earth borer," for ma- 

 nuring fruit trees without digging the ground. A circle of holes is bored 

 round the tree, at 2 feet distance from the tree, and a foot from each other. 

 Taking the tree at a foot diameter at the surface of the soil, the circle will 

 be 5 feet diameter and 15 feet circumference : and if the holes are 3 inches 

 diameter and a foot apart, — 15 inches, — there will be about 12 holes ; more 

 or less according to the diameter of the tree. They are 18 inches deep, 

 (where there is enough depth of soil,) and slanting towards the centre ; are 

 filled with liquid manure, diluted more or less in dry weather, and stronger 

 as the weather is wetter. For the time of application, Dr. Lindley tells us 

 [Gard. Chron., Feb, 21, 1852,) "For fruit, the proper time for using liquid 



