VARIOUS SOILS. — MULCHING. 13 



flatly in every direction. A stake to wliich the tree shall be 

 firmly tied completes the operation, not, however, forgetting 

 to have the name of the tree written on a label attaclied to 

 it. Zinc, or wood painted, is best for labels. Avoid all stim- 

 ulating manures in contact with the tender fibrous roots, ad- 

 ding only vegetable mould, and calcareous matter with it. 

 No tree should be planted in damp situations ; but if this be 

 unavoidable, a drainage of four to six inches of stones, or 

 oyster shells, will tend to remedy this. 



There is some variety in the soils proper to the various 

 kinds of fruit-trees. The plum, tlie cherry, and the apricot, 

 require an argilo-calcareous soil. The situation should be 

 rather more moist than dry, and they will do well where 

 there is no great depth of soil. It is useful to remember 

 this ; because light soils, especially if at all sandy, are not 

 adapted for peaches. These require a firm and rather unc- 

 tuous loam, — deep, but permeable, — and they must have 

 abundance of calcareous matter.* In the case of wall trees, 

 the borders should not be less than six feet broad, and should 

 slope gently downwards, and be well drained. This is indis- 

 pensable in the case of peaches. These borders should never 

 be cropped. No early potatoes should ever be allowed to en- 

 croach on the ground devoted to wall trees. Fork lightly up 

 these borders, removing the weeds, but unless the soil be very 

 heavy do not dig them up. Mulch the borders in July, but 

 never before that month ; because the ground is not warmed 

 enough till that period to shade it from the sun by mulching: 

 but after that time this operation is invaluable^ as it checks 

 evaporation and saves watering. In the late autumn hghtly 



[* This is the Terr opposite of the advice of American cultivators, which is to 

 plant the peach in light soils. Indeed, no soil has been thought too light for the 

 peach, except a perfect sand. We are inclined to believe that much of the decay 

 of our peach orchards, and the so-called disease of the yellows, is to be attributed 

 to a long course of starvation, applied to the peach tree. Certainly it can do no 

 harm to try a generous treatment, and allow it to have a decent soil, and a little 

 manure. We know that no such thing as the yellows exists in Great Britain, 

 and we know too that the finest looki^^g peaches — to say nothing about their 

 flavor — are raised on walls and under glass in that climate. — c. m. h.] 



