98 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



April 



a little garden, and how to grow them well — how 

 to produce beautiful forms, and to hasten and main- 

 tain fruitfulness. In all the French and and Belgian 

 gardens one is struck not only with the economy 

 which prevails in filling every nook and corner, cov- 

 ering every wall or fence, with something for use 

 or ornament; but the observer is also delighted with 

 the appearance of propriety and fitness about every 

 thing. You will not find an immense apple or pear 

 tree, or a clump of old plum trees, or two or three 

 great quince bushes covering nearly the entire gar- 

 den ; but you will find elegant pyramidal pear trees, 

 or apples as pyranills on domain stocks, or in bushes, 

 on paradise; cherries either in pyramids or bushes, 

 on mahaleb stocks; apricots, nectarines and peaches, 

 in espaliers; plums, quinces and filberts, in pyramids; 

 gooseberries, currants and grapes, when the gardens 

 are small, trained on the walls. These trees are not 

 only beautiful objects, but bear large crops of fine 

 fruit, superior in size, flavor and beauty, as a general 

 thing, to that produced on standards; and then the 

 advantage of enjoying such a variety on a little spot, 

 and of having trees at all times perfectly manageable 

 — for these dwarf trees can be moved from one place 

 to another, at any age. The gardens around Rouen, 

 in France, were the best I saw any where in regard 

 to fruit trees. As I passed the streets I noticed 

 many little gardens that I wished I could take 

 with me, and set down in Rochester, as a model. 

 But the Rouen people have a thorough love of these 

 things, and they have a capital teacher, in Professor 

 Dubriel, director of the fruit department in the 

 Botanic Garden. His trees are the best specimens 

 I have any where seen, not only perfect pyramids — 

 absolutely perfect — but they are covered with fruit 

 buds, and in the most perfect health and vigor; so 

 are his cherries and plums, filberts, &cc. His espa- 

 lier peaches, apricots, nectarines, gooseberries, &c, 

 are all as perfect as any artist could draw on paper. 

 Many of the French works on pruning give exam- 

 ples that had no existence but in the imagination; 

 but Prof. Dubriel has created his illustrations, first 

 in his garden and then on paper. The citizens of 

 Rouen are admitted freely to see this elegant tree 

 culture, and benefit by it. Mr. D. also gives lessons 

 in pruning ; his classes meeting at regular hours, 

 each scholar with his pruning knife. He proceeds, 

 and they follow, through the whole minutia of both 

 the principles and practice. One day he takes apples, 

 another pears, and then peaches, and so on through 

 all the fruits, in all their forms. To these practical 

 teachings he adds lectures, and these lectures and 

 lessons on pruning and arboriculture are attended not 

 by mere gardeners, but by large numbers of gentle- 

 men of wealth desirous of being able to assist in the 

 direction and management of their own gardens. 



On the occasion of my visit on the 6th of January 

 last, the pruning classes were about opening, and I 

 met in the garden a Mr. Bard, a respectable mer- 

 chant of the town, who had been a pupil, and so apt 

 an one, that his own garden, though small, is one of 

 the best managed in France, and that by his own 

 hands at his leisure hours. I have never met an 

 amateur so enthusiastic or so well skilled in the 

 treatment of garden fruit trees. He had just con- 

 trived a new style of scale for giving the proper 

 angle in the various modes of espalier training, and 

 had come to show it to Mr. Dubriel. 



Some ill-informed persons in this country since 

 we commenced to direct attention to pyramidal and 



dwarf garden trees, have raised a cry against pears 

 on quince stocks, as being short lived; but I have 

 seen trees 30 years old in the most perfect health 

 and vigor, and all over the continent trees may be 

 found 50 years old. 



I shall have something to say at some other time 

 of Mr. Dubriel's method of culture. 



TREE PLANTING. 



We need hardly urge upon planters the necessity 

 of the utmost care in every particular. The ground 

 should be thoroughly prepared. In all cases it should 

 be, as we have often said, trenched or subsoil plowed, 

 and properly enriched, so that the young roots may 

 spread out freely on all sides, and find abundant 

 nourishment. If people were half so zealous in the 

 proper preparation of the ground, in the planting 

 ivetl, and in the after culture of trees, as they are in 

 seeking for trees of large size, they would find their 

 labors much more successful and profitable in the 

 end. Many we have known to utterly refuse to plant 

 a tree because it was not so tall that the "cows 

 could not reach its branches." Such persons have 

 much to learn about trees. 



The well-informed, careful cultivator cares but 

 little for size, if he gets a good, healthy, well-grown 

 plant of the right sort. The purchaser of young 

 trees has the advantage of shaping them to his 

 own taste and convenience — and this is a considera- 

 tion of some consequence. 



The careful treatment of the roots is another 

 important point. They should neither be brui 

 broken, nor exposed to the air until they get dried. 



After being well planted they should be neatly tied 

 to stakes, and have the surface of the ground v n 

 them cleaned and loosened every two or three weeks 

 during the growing season. With such care, it is 

 surprising how soon trees attain size and fruitful- 

 ness; and without this care, they had better never be 

 planted. 



By way of answering several correspondents in 

 regard to distances, we subjoin the following table, 

 which according to our experience is about right, in 

 general. 



Currants, 

 ( looseberries, 

 Raspberries, 



4 feet. 

 4 " 



3 u 



The Prince Albert is considered the best early 

 variety of peas; next to this, the Early Washington. 

 They may be planted as soon as the ground is .settled. 



