THE 



ORCHARD AhD FRUIT GARDEN. 



CHAPTEE I. 



THE OECHAED. 



IN the treatment of our fruit trees, sins of omission are 

 more general than sins of commission. "Whereas many, 

 in the present advanced state of Horticulture, select 

 with precision, plant with care, prune with skill, manure 

 sufficiently, and accommodate the soil to the develop- 

 ment and improvement of the fruit, there are yet also 

 many others who seem to think a tree a tree, and one 

 about as good as another, make a hole in which to bury 

 the root, together with all reasonable hope of success, 

 and leave the rest to nature and to chance. This negli- 

 gent gardening, although still too prevalent, is much 

 less so than formerly. Excellent treatises and well- 

 conducted periodicals now aid the beginner with advice 

 and instruction, and offer a theatre for the discussion of 

 all moot points. These valuable works are, however, not 

 so universally within the reach of all fruit growers and 

 lovers of a garden as to render a cheap work on the 

 management of fruit trees superfluous. 



Fruit fresh gathered and good in kind, is so pleasant 

 and so useful an addition to diet, and so especially 

 valuable in the case of children and young people, that 

 I can scarcely comprehend why there are so many 

 gardens, even of the smallest dimensions, entirely 



B 



