MOST FA VORABLE SOILS AND CLIMATE. 223 



posure to severe winds. Few trees thrive well upon the sea- 

 shore, and this is usually laid to the account of salt spray or "salt 

 in the air." It will be found, however, that trees grown inland 

 upon very exposed sites, have the same peculiarities with those 

 in the vicinity of the sea ; that is, they are slow of growth and 

 "scrubby." 



Another important circumstance to be noticed, as distinguish- 

 ing 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.* 



" Great light has been lately thrown upon the adaptation of soils to par- 

 ticular 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 de- 

 ciduous trees require a considerable proportion of potash for the elaboration 

 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." 



Again, the same writer : 



"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 of the development of the fruit ; but it is most certain, at the same 

 time, that these alone would be perfectly inefficient for the production of 

 the fruit without the cooperation of (the alkaline bases.) The size, and 

 perhaps the flavor of the fruit, may be somewhat affected by the organic 



* Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, vol. ir, p. 381. 



