CULTURE OF HARDY FRUITS. 59 



of blossom, by directly applying it to pollen from flowers 

 of some other tree of the same species. 



Pi'otection of Fruit. — If -the blossom requires to be 

 guarded, equally so does the fruit,, from the moment it 

 begins to color till it be plucked for the table. Wasps 

 and other insect enemies are often ensnared by means of 

 phials half filled with watery syrup, and hung upon the 

 trees. Coverings of netting are employed to protect 

 against the ravages of small birds: and this is preferable 

 to shooting them ; for among these feathered enemies 

 it must be confessed with r-egret that not only the en- 

 gaging Robin Redbreast- but the melodious Blackbird 

 fall to be numbered. 



CULTURE OF HARDY FRUITS. 



In proceeding to treat of the more special culture of 

 the inmates of a British fruit garden, we shall begin 

 with the more tender ; but for details regarding these, 

 reference may, to a considerable extent, be made to the 

 Forcing department, in which alone many of the finer 

 fruits can be perfected. The nomenclature of the numer 

 rous varieties of the principal fruits is still in an unc^ir- 

 tain and unsatisfactory state. Mr. Thompson, of the 

 Horticultural Society's Garden at Chiswick, has, how- 

 ever, with much discrimination and judgment, settled 

 the synonymes of many of those chiefly cultivated in 

 our gardens ; and we shall, therefore (when the con- 

 trary is not intimated), adopt the names employed in 

 the London Horticultural Society's Fruit Catalogue. 



The Grape Vine ( Vitis 'Cinifera) can scarcely be said 

 to be a hr^rdy fruit in our climate. In every case it re- 



