14 CORDON TRAINING. 



fork in this mulching, which will then be quite friable. You 

 may renew it in the summer, as occasion requires; indeed, 

 the proper time to nourish the tree is during growing and 

 bearing season, and not when it should be at rest, — that is, 

 in the winter. In cold localities, however, mulching in win- 

 ter has the advantage of protecting the surface roots from 

 the frost. 



The pear also requires a good deep soil, but not retentive 

 of moisture. Leaf mould (very old manure), but not near 

 tlie roots : loam and sand together form an excellent compost. 

 Moor earth near rivers must be well drained in heaps, and a 

 little unslaked lime added to correct it. If the soil be too 

 heavy in any case, powdered charcoal, or burnt earth, are the 

 usual palliatives. 



The apple (which unfortunately is generally considered fit 

 for any situation) prefers, on the contrary, a rather drier 

 soil than the pear, and if in rather a gravelly spot, so much 

 the better. Canker proceeds from neglect of this, a fertile 

 source of discussion. The unwholesome sub-soil supplies 

 vitiated food to the spongioles, and the sap thus corrupted 

 breaks out at the weakest portion of the bark. Sometimes, 

 however, the conjuncture of a sudden excess of pruning is 

 the cause of this fatal disease, as it is of gum in other trees. 

 Therefore, in weak trees, especially in the tender apricot, do 

 not prune all the trees at one single time. On a due atten- 

 tion to the soil proper for each variety depends, in a very 

 great measure, the success of the whole matter. No expense 

 or care bestowed in this way, nor attention to these details, 

 can ever be thrown away. 



There is no doubt that pruning dnrifig the slimmer months, 

 is too much neglected. There are so many demands upon 

 the precious hours at this period, that this indispensable act 

 has not often its due attention ; then, when the winter sur- 

 prises us, we are apt to find a huge, entangled, overgrown 

 mass to unravel, demanding very much more labor and skill. 

 This is a vicious custom with unskilful gardeners, because 

 a severe use of the knife in the winter is to them the great 



