120 



FOOD FOR PLANTS CHILDREN, &C. 



feet form without pruning, wiicre the 

 soil is fertile, than in that of a different 

 character. 



In cultivating fruit trees, two objects 

 are desirable; tliese are, a quick return of 

 the capital invested, and healthy vigorous 

 trees, but as it is difficult to accomplish 

 both in the same tree, it is suggested for 

 the consideration of those interested upon 

 this subject, that the first named object 

 be attained by converting large branches 

 into trees by the Chinese method. {See 

 page 14 of this work.) By these means 

 an orchard, bearing fruit, could be formed 

 in less than two years, without injury to 

 the tree, or trees, from which it was taken, 

 because the branches thus converted into 

 trees might be selected from those which 

 are required to be removed, for the bene 

 fit of the parent tree. — The other object 

 could be attained, by planting several 

 seeds at or near where each tree is re- 

 quired in the orchard, and be cultivated 

 in the manner recommended for the 

 peach tree. {Seepage 35.) 



The most vigorous of these may be 

 suffered to remain, and such of them as 

 produce good fruit, will furnish a supply 

 of grafts to improve those which naturally 

 produce fruit of an inferior quality; or 

 in case none of them bear fruit of a qua- 

 lity sufficiently valuable; grafts may be 

 produced from other sources to improve 

 the whole of them, by inserting them in 

 the branches, at a considerable distance 

 above the main trunk or body of the tree: 

 the whole body of each tree, and the 

 branches below the grafts, will partake 

 of, or combine all the health and vigor 

 naturally arising from a young tree, and 

 will serve to receive other grafts in case 

 of disease in those first inserted. The 

 usual method of forming the bodies, or 

 trunks of trees is by inserting bearing 

 branches at the root, frequently practised 

 by nursery men, should never be adopted 

 where a healthy vigorous tree is required. 

 The body of a tree should always be pro- 

 duced from the seed, and the branches 

 also, where the fruit is of a good kind; 

 and where grafts are selected, they shoud 

 be such as are known to be produced 

 from the seed within a few years, the 

 shorter the period the better. 



FOOD FOR PLANTS. 



In a select collection oi^ Memoirs, puh- 

 lished by the Free Society of Agricul- 

 ture, Arts and Cominerce, in the Depart- 

 ment of Ardenne, the following vegeta- 

 tive liquor is recommended for promoting 

 the growth, as well as the flowering, of 

 bulbous roots in apartments, during the 

 winter. Take three ounces of nitre, one 

 ounce of sea salt, half an ounce of salt of 

 tartar, half an ounce of sugar, and one 

 pint of rain water. Let the salts be 

 gradually dissolved in a glazed earthen 

 vessel; and when the solution is complet- 

 ed, add the sugar, and filter the whole. 

 About eight drops of this liquid must be 

 poured into every flower-glass filled with 

 rain or river water: these vessels should 

 be kept constantly full, and the water be 

 renewed every tenth or twelfth day; a 

 similar portion of the vegetative liquor 

 being added each time. In order to in- 

 sure success, the glasses ought to be placed 

 on the corner of a chimney piece, where 

 a fire is regularly kept in cold seasons. 



FOOD. 



The aliment of children ought to be 

 adapted to their age, and the strength of 

 their digestive powers. Hence they ought 

 by no means to be fed immoderately or 

 promiscuously, with every kind of food, 

 as by this indulgence, the first passages 

 are distended and their stomachs gradu- 

 ally acquire an unnatural craving for vic- 

 tuals before the preceding meal is proper- 

 ly assimilated ; one kind of aliment only 

 should be given at each meal. Sudden 

 changes from liquid to solid food, and a 

 multiplicity of incongruous mixtures, in 

 immediate succession, such as broth, or 

 soup, meat, boiled or roasted, after tak- 

 ing milk, fruit, &c., should be carefully 

 avoided. 



All stimulating dishes prepared for 

 adults, as well as beer, wine, spices, coffee, 

 and other heating liquors should be care- 

 fully withheld from children. 



A due proportion of vegetable and 

 animal substances with the addition of 

 acids during the summer months, is alike 

 agreeable to the taste and conducive to 

 health. In a salted state, meat not only 

 loses a considerable part of its gelatinous 



