PLANTING. 207 



thought by many amateurs no others are or can be 

 so eligible : on dry sandy soils, this is quite correct ; 

 but on wet retentive soils, if the holes are opened 

 in winter, so that the mould becomes pulverised 

 by frost, February is much better. In light soils, 

 a mixture of well-rotted cow-dung and rich stiff 

 loam from an old pasture, giving^to each plant, if 

 a standard, a wheel-barrowful, if a dwarf, about 

 half that quantity, will be found the best compost ; 

 if the soil be stiff, the same quantity of manure 

 and pit or road sand, or burnt earth, equal parts, 

 will be most eligible. The roots of the plants 

 will require but little pruning; merely shorten 

 any that are long and straggling; and if the 

 plants are very luxuriant, those planted in autumn 

 may have their branches shortened to about half 

 their length to prevent the wind rocking them ; 

 in February they may be finally pruned as di- 

 rected for each family : in spring-planting they 

 may be pruned before they are planted. In 

 every case some manure, to the extent of three or 

 four inches in depth, should be placed on the 

 surface round the stem of each plant : this keeps 

 the roots in a moist state and enriches the soil. 



Standards should not be planted nearer to each 

 other than three feet, and dwarfs in beds from 

 twenty-one inches to two feet apart. 



