76 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 



crop; but it sometimes happens that they almost 

 all drop off. This accident is too frequent with apple 

 and pear trees. The way to remedy this inconve- 

 nience, is, to sprinkle the root or foot of the trees, 

 when they are in blossom, with five or six buckets 

 of water; and to preserve the humidity, the bottom 

 must be covered with straw, which prevents too 

 hasty an evaporation of the water : by these means 

 the flowers and buds are preserved from falling off. 



DISEASES AND OTHER INCIDENTS WHICH RENDER FRUIT 

 TREES UNPRODUCTIVE. 



All the maxims relative to fruit trees, it is said, 

 centre in the word health. The great object of the 

 fruit farmer, says Marshall, is to produce a crop 

 every year; and nothing is more likely to obtain it, 

 than keeping the trees in perfect health, and en- 

 deavouring to prevent their bearing beyond their 

 strength, in a general fruit year. The enemies of 

 fruit trees, says the author, are a redundancy of 

 wood, moss, spring frosts, blights, insects, an excess 

 of fruit, old age. To these should be added canker. 

 Some of them are beyond human reach, but most 

 of them are within the control of art. The term 

 blight is of vague signification. Black blighting winds 

 are talked of every where, but no definite idea is 

 any where affixed to the expression. That corn 

 and fruit become unproductive without any visible 

 cause, and that fruit trees are liable to be infected 

 with insects, are certainly facts. But whether in- 

 sects be the cause or the effect of blights, does not 

 appear to be yet settled. With respect to blights, 

 all the assistance which art can render, is to keep 

 the trees in a state of healthfulness, and prevent, 

 as much as possible, an excess of fruit. As old age 

 cannot be prevented, we have only to consider how 

 the productiveness of trees may be protracted. I 

 have seen, says he, healthy bearing apple trees 



