OF FRUIT TREES. 61 



ration with little difficulty. In the next place, I di- 

 rected him to raise a wall of small stones round the 

 tree, at the distance of one foot, and perhaps nine inch- 

 es high, and then to fill the cavity with manure from 

 the resource of compost. The effect in the succeed- 

 ing season was truly worthy of notice. The warts 

 disappeared, the bark clean and thrifty, and the tree 

 so loaded with fruit as that about one third of the 

 boughs broke and came to the ground with the cum- 

 bersome weight. Comparatively no caterpillars since, 

 and, on an average, a very plentiful crop ot liuit 

 3'early. I was led to the experiment by taking notice 

 of a pear tree that had been in a very similar situation, 

 and had been resuscitated in a similar manner." 



There is not, perhaps, in nature a more fertilizing 

 application than the liquid substance which is left at 

 the bottom of stercoraries and barn yards, after the 

 more solid substance has been removed. This effer- 

 vescing mixture contains the very essence of the food 

 of plants, and it might be carried out in tight carts or 

 casks, especially in a dry season, and emptied about 

 the trunks and roots, in the cool hours of morning and 

 evening, but on no account during the heat of a sum- 

 mer's day. The planter, however, ought to be ap- 

 prized, that the process of manuring must not be car- 

 ried to excess, as too great a stimulus applied to 

 trees, facilitates the luxuriant growth of wood, and 

 renders the branches less productive of fruit : or the 

 trees may be stimulated to a preternatural exertion 

 for a few years, when their prolifick powers will be 

 exhausted, and a premature decay induced. Fresh 

 stable manure is supposed to be injurious to fruit trees. 



There is another expedient, which is understood to 

 have produced favourable effects in promoting the 

 growth of young fruit trees, especiall) in grass land. 

 The method was published some years ago by a Ger- 

 man clergyman, andsimpiy consists in spreading flax* 



