105 



which encloses an orchard, or a nursery. And 

 we may further remark, that the whole busi- 

 ness of cultivating fruit trees, from the sowing 

 of the seed to the gathering of the fruit, ought 

 to be entrusted to none but very careful men 

 men of good sense, taste, skill and FIDELITY. 



Fruiting, fyc. Some of the causes of fruit- 

 fulness have been explained already. [See 

 Chap. F., Sec. 2d, and observe the general 

 principle there stated.} The natural and cor- 

 rect inference from that principle is, that neg- 

 lected cultivation, bending, distorting, and 

 even girdling the limbs, a hard lime-stone 

 soil or top-dressing with lime, dwarf -grafting, 

 and, in a word, whatever tends to stunt the 

 growth, or induce premature old age, operates 

 as a cause of fruitfulness. But a word more. 

 As the little boy cannot have his cake and eat 

 it, so the overgrown boy we came very 

 near saying booby, -who is so importunate 

 as to require an immediate income from his 

 young orchard trees, ought not to complain of 

 their feeble health and early decay. 



First Fruiting. Beware of hastily form- 

 ing an opinion from the first, fruits of a youug 

 tree. We have known a peach, through fee- 

 bleness, produce little, green, worthless fruit, 



