THE FRUIT-GARDEN. 



In April, train in, straight and regularly, all the 

 bearing-wood ; and as the trees grow, suffer the 

 breast-wood to curve forward at its pleasure, 

 pinching the points as directed. Not one shoot 

 is to be cut shorter ; but if the wood become 

 redundant, branches which obscure the fruit 

 should be removed, reserving those which will 

 manifestly be fertile, and which can be duly trained 

 in the following spring. 



The Filbert. 



The filbert is an improved variety of the com- 

 mon hazel-nut. Both plants are monoecious ; that 

 is, they produce male and fruitful blossoms very 

 early in the year on the same tree, but separate 

 from each other. As the trees are pruned 

 spurred, as it is termed in autumn, care must be 

 taken to reserve a number of catkins. The follow- 

 ing are the methods of culture : Strong suckers, 

 taken in autumn, are either planted in the nursery, 

 or at once in the places where they are to remain ; 

 and trained in after-years either with conical or 

 open heads. As the bush approaches maturity, 

 short shoots (spurs) spring from the eyes, and are 

 suffered to grow till the autumn, when they are cut 

 back nearly to their origin, whilst also the leading 

 shoots of the previous year are shortened two- 

 thirds. 



In the following spring, several small shoots 

 arise from the base of the small branches which 

 were cut off the preceding autumn, in consequence 

 of the curtailment of the leading trained branches, 

 and upon these secondary spurs the fruit may be 

 expected ; these shoots augment in number yearly, 

 insomuch that many must be cut away. The 

 largest are removed ; the lesser remain, being more 

 fertile in their habit. Many decay yearly; but 

 whether they do so or not, those which have borne 

 filberts are always cut away, and a fresh succession 

 provided as future bearers. The leading shoot is 

 every year shortened two-thirds or more, if the 

 tree be weak, and the whole height of the branches 

 must not exceed six to nine feet. In order to 

 strengthen the tree as much as possible, the 

 suckers of the roots are eradicated. 



The Mulberry. 



The mulberry is a native of Italy, introduced in 

 1548. The structure of its flowers and fruit is 

 very singular ; like the nut and filbert, the males 

 are distinct from the females ; the latter do not 

 always expand at the same time as the males, and 

 therefore are not fertilised. The black mulberry 

 thrives best in good loam ; the bed ought to be 

 deep, and to rest on a dry sandy subsoil. The 

 fruit sometimes fails ; and on this subject Rogers 

 observes, that fertility may depend very much on the 

 warmth of the weather at the time of blossoming, 

 and on the circumstance of both male and female 

 flowers coming forth at the same time ; sometimes 

 also the male catkins drop before the fruit-blos- 

 soms expand. Williams of Pitmaston suggests 

 ' that no tree receives more benefit from the spade 

 and dunghill than the mulberry ; it ought, there- 

 fore, to be frequently dug about the roots, and occa- 

 sionally assisted with manure.' Others consider 

 a velvety piece of turf as the best site. The mul- 

 berry seldom ripens fruit north of the central 

 English counties ; but deserves a place as an 

 ornamental small tree, the leaves of which are 

 useful to amateur rearers of silkworms. 



The Melon. 



The melon requires more care in cultivation 

 than most amateur gardeners can bestow upon it ; 

 but of late years the introduction of heating by 

 hot water for forcing purposes has largely dis- 

 placed the old system of dungheaps, and has 

 simplified the management of melons, and ren- 

 dered them a more certain crop. They are now 

 usually grown in low, glazed pits, having pipes of 

 hot water flowing beneath the bed of soil, to afford 

 bottom-heat. The trellis for training the melon- 

 shoots should be sixteen to eighteen inches from 

 the glass, so as to allow of seven or eight inches 

 between it and the foliage, and permit a free circu- 

 lation of air. The first sowing may be made at the 

 end of November, the seeds being sown thinly in 

 pans ; the seedlings require great attention at this 

 dull season ; keep them near the light, and when 

 they are sufficiently strong, prick them singly into 

 pots, using pure loam. Early in January, prepare 

 for planting. Melons succeed best in marly or 

 clayey loam, and the soil must be made firm before 

 planting, whether the plants are grown in the beds 

 or in pots ; the latter are preferred for the earliest 

 crop. In the middle of January, the soil in the 

 pots having become warm, the seedlings are to be 

 planted, one in each pot. When the stem elon- 

 gates, carefully tie each to a stick reaching from 

 the pot to the trellis, and when trained along the 

 trellis, stop them, by pinching out the point of the 

 shoot, to induce fertility. Three fruits will be 

 plenty to allow to swell off on each plant. Be 

 careful to regulate the temperature and to keep 

 the atmosphere moist, watering the soil occasion- 

 ally with liquid manure. For successive crops, 

 make three or four additional sowings at inter- 

 vals of about a month. The following are some 

 of the best varieties in cultivation at the present 

 time : Bromhall, Golden Queen, Orion, Beech- 

 wood, Malvern Hall, Scarlet Gem, and Oulton 

 Hybrid ; the first four of which are green-fleshed, 

 and the last three scarlet-fleshed. 



THE ORCHARD-HOUSE. 



Of late years, an innovation has been made on 

 gardening practices and prejudices by the intro- 

 duction of hardy fruit-trees to pot-culture. This 

 may at first sight seem a refinement in horti- 

 cultural art which is not needed by those whom 

 t is the chief object of these pages to instruct ; 

 Dut on closer examination, it will be found that 

 the orchard-house, or, as its author, Mr Rivers, 

 prefers to call it, the ' glass-roofed shed,' does not 

 so much belong to the professional gardener as to 

 the amateur and the cottager, and especially to 

 the owner of a town-garden. It is described as a 

 alace requiring but little expense to erect, but 

 ittle experience and attention to manage, and yet 

 jiving pleasing results to the suburban gardener 

 who has but a small garden which must be a 

 multum in parvo to the amateur with plenty of 

 gardening taste, and but a limited income ; in 

 short, to a numerous class, with minds full of 

 refinement and capabilities of enjoyment of horti- 

 cultural pleasures, but with purses not so bounti- 

 fully supplied. 



The principal object of these orchard-houses is 

 :o grow small apple and pear trees, cherries, &c. 

 in pots, to greater perfection than can be done in 



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