4 THE NEW HORTICULTURE. 



been thinned, and yet fruit is always large and fine. From 

 time to time the lawn has been manured. Trees of this age 

 that were set with long roots and plowed regularly afterward 

 can nowhere be shown in this whole section. In fact, six 

 years is the utmost limit, in this level country, of the latter 

 treatment, and the fruit is far inferior. 



One great advantage of the above general system for all 

 fruit trees is that no tree trunk will ever sun-scald. This 

 comes entirely from the inability of a tree grown from long 

 roots and annually plowed, to supply a free enough flow of 

 sap, during hot and very dry weather, to prevent stagnation 

 and scald on the side exposed to the afternoon sun. A close- 

 pruned tree, with its deeply penetrating roots, will never fail 

 to do this. 



A second advantage is that fruit grown on trees standing 

 in firm soil, undisturbed, will in rainy seasons be of far better 

 eating and shipping qualities than that from trees whose roots 

 are gorged with water, in a deep, loose soil, no matter though 

 well drained. This I know to be a fact. 



A third advantage will be a great increase in the hardiness 

 of all fruit trees in northern latitudes. I am confident all 

 varieties, especially the peach, can be grown with perfect 

 success where now they winter-kill every year. 



A fourth advantage is a firm roadway for hauling out the 

 fruit in wet weather. 



A fifth and final advantage is economy. Far superior fruit, 

 and at a cost of twenty-five cents on the dollar, as compared 

 with old methods and long-rooted trees. 



As going to show that these principles are true, and that 

 there is an increasing feeling of doubt and dissatisfaction 

 with present methods and their results as exemplified in the 

 orchards of to-day, grown, as all of them are, from long-rooted 

 trees, several years old when set, I will close this part of my 

 subject with a quotation from the April issue of Green's 

 Fruit Grower, published at Rochester, in the center of the 

 great fruit-growing district of Western New York. Mr. P. 

 C. Reynolds, a regular contributor, and evidently a horticul- 



