FOOD AND STIMULANTS. 25 



it ; particularly new planted trees, for the wounds 

 of trees being very tenacious of wet, generally 

 decay where wounds are made, and hence rot or 

 mortification from a small part is often extended to a 

 magnitude that is a serious injury to the tree. Mois- 

 ture should in all cases be considered useful in a 

 certain degree, but when applied too bountifully 

 is injurious. 



ART. 4. On Drought. 



The principal injury sustained from drought by 

 the planter, is occasioned by its long continuance 

 early in the spring of some years. In consequence 

 of this early drought, at the period when the young 

 fruit is swelling and requires to be nourished 

 and invigorated, the fruit fails and drops off. 

 This more generally happens on dry soils than 

 moist, and hence in dry seasons we find the plum 

 and other fruits fail in consequence of too much dry 

 weather during the growth of the fruit. 



The only methods to assist fruit trees against 

 this is to water, or melch over their roots with long 

 manure or other substance that retains the moisture ; 

 this method cannot be followed to any extent with 

 grown trees, but in yonng planted trees the melch- 

 ing or covering with anything to keep the roots 

 moist is often of very essential service. 



The Strawberry is almost the only fruit I am ac- 

 quainted with that will pay for watering, and that 

 under circumstances where water can be conve- 

 niently obtained, as from a pump being conducted 

 through pipes or other conveyance so as to flood 

 the beds every day or two when in bloom and setting 

 the fruit. This will be of essential service. 



