no 



GENESEE FARMER. 



April. 



fulness, beauty, and longevity of the trees, as 

 well as the size, fairness, and flavor of the fruit. 

 In newly settled countries, in the fresh virgin 

 soil, whole tracts of country may be found well 

 adapted, in the natural state, to the production of 

 nearly all the garden fruits. But a large pro- 

 portion of soils, in tiieir natural state, are not 

 capable of producing the healthiest and most 

 fruitful trees, and the fairest and finest flavored 

 fruit, without due improvement and preparation. 

 In the neighborhood of towns and villager, where 

 land has been for a long time under culture, this 

 is more particularly the case, and there more 

 care is necessary in the preparation of the soil. 



It is no trifling matter to plant a fruit garden 

 in ungenial, ill-prepared soil. It is a sure meth- 

 od to produce loss and disappointment, instead of 

 handsome, healthy trees and fine fruit. To give 

 directions for the preparation of soil for any one 

 particular class of fruits would be easier than to 

 direct the making of a soil suited to all the fruits 

 for a family garden. We know by experience 

 that the apple, pear, and plum, require a stronger 

 and heavier soil than the cherry, peach, or apri- 

 cot, and the quince a more moist (not wet) soil 

 than any of them. The natural defects of soils 

 consist generally in being either too wet or too 

 dry, too sandy and open, or too clayey and im- 

 pervious to water and air. Open sandy soils are 

 pretty sure to lack lime, potash, and other solu- 

 ble minerals which go to form the ashes found 

 when the leaves, wood, and bark of fruit tiees 

 are burnt. This has been clearly demonstrated 

 by some exact analyses made by Dr. Lee, the 

 Agricultural editor of this paper, of nursery soils 

 in the vicinity of Rochester. The analysis was 

 made to ascertain the cause of the death and bad 

 growth of apple trees, on a soil well manured 

 with stable manure and otherwise apparently in 

 good condition. The result of the analysis 

 showed that lime and potash, so essential to the 

 organization of the apple tree, had been entirely 

 exhausted py previous culture under apple trees. 

 These necessary ingredients were supplied and 

 the trees consequently made a fine, healthy growth. 



Practically, experience has shown that a fria- 

 ble calcareous loam, not too rich nor too poor in 

 organic matter, is the best for the general pur- 

 poses of a Fruit Garden. On such we find the 

 oldest, healthiest, and most productive trees of 

 the various fruits. And this soil is easily made, 

 at least around the trees. If the soil naturally 

 contains too much clay, is hard and too retentive 

 of moisture, trench it up and apply sand, muck, 

 rotten chips or leaves, and lime. By this mix- 

 ture, made agreeably to the dictates of good 

 common sense, a friable calcareous loam will be 

 formed. The unlearned reader is informed that 

 the word loam means a soil that has clay and 

 sand in fair proportions. A calcareous loam is 

 the same with a due admixture of lime. 



A peaty soil is entirely unfit for a Fruit Gar- 



den, until well drained and prepared by the ad- 

 dition of clay, sand, lime, ashes, &c. Lime and 

 potash are important ingredients in the ashes of 

 the wood, bark, leaves, and fruit of the apple. — 

 According to Dr. Emmons' analysis, in the Jour- 

 nal of Agriculture and Science, there are in 100 

 parts of the sap wood of the pear 22 parts of pot- 

 ash and 27 parts of phosphate of lime, and 12 

 parts of lime; and in the bark, 6 parts of potash 

 and 30 of lime. In the fruit of the pear, (ac- 

 cording to a table of analyses of fruit and vege- 

 tables in the London Gardener's Chronicle, by 

 Dr. Thos. Richardson,) there are, in 100 parts 

 of the ash, 44 of potash, 8 of soda, and 7 of lime. 

 Thus we see how largely lime .and potash enter 

 into the composition of the tree and fruit of the 

 pear, and all must be furnished by the roots out 

 of the soil. And so it is with the apple. Dr. 

 Emmons' analysis shows in 100 parts of the ash- 

 es of the sap wood of the apple 16 of potash and 

 18 of lime, besides 17 of phosphate of lime, 

 (same as earth of bones, or bone dust,) in 100 

 parts of ashes of the bark — 4 parts of potash and 

 51 of lime. In 100 parts of the ashes of the fruit 

 of the apple, according to Dr. Richardson's 

 analyses, already quoted, there are 35 parts of 

 potash, 26 of soda, and 4 of lime. In the ashes of 

 the fruits of the cherry and plum, potash and 

 lime are also found, by recent analyses, to exist 

 in considerable quantities. What we learn from 

 all these facts and experiments is, that lime and 

 ashes may and must he used with manures, 

 where the soil nat arally lacks them. 



4. Arrangemcv.', or Laying out. — The form 

 of the Garden must depend, in many cases, on 

 circumstances beyond the control of the proprie- 

 tor. Where it can be chosen, a square or par- 

 allelogram is preferred, as being easier divided 

 into suitable compartments, and that is usually 

 the form of most city and village gardens. In 

 such gardens the usual and probably the best ar- 

 rangement is to have a walk say 6 feet wide all 

 around, within 12 feet or so of the fence or wall 

 that surrounds anJ incloses the garden ; another 

 similar through the center. Cross-walks, 3 or 4 

 feet wide, may be made at suitable distances, ma- 

 king a series of compartments for culinary crops. 



The borders on each side of the principal walks 

 may be planted with fruit trees. The small fruits, 

 such as gooseberries, currants. &c., can be plant- 

 ed along the edges of the smaller walks. The 

 walls or fences may be used for training grapes, 

 apricots or nectarines to, and the raspberries, 

 strawberries, &;c., occupy one of the wall bor- 

 ders. A garden of half an acre, laid out in this 

 way, will contain upwards of 50 trees of the va- 

 rious fruits, beside the small fruits, and allowing 

 foom enough for all the vegetables required by 

 an ordinary sized family. 



5. Selection of Trees. — Much depends on a 

 judicious selection of irees and varieties of fruit 

 The proportion of the several fruits is a matter < 



