282 The Cultivation of Fruits in City Gardens. 



I could go on and make many other extracts to show what has been 

 done in the way of city-fruit gardening, but presume the above will sufl&ce 

 to show what can be accomplished in that way. All the articles noted as 

 above were grown in city gardens, and without the aid of glass or artificial 

 structures. 



It will be observed that the grapes exhibited, with two exceptions, were 

 all foreign varieties, which do admirably in such situations ; the solar heat 

 absorbed by the surrounding walls and pavements during the day, and again 

 given out at night, so tempering the atmosphere as to prevent those sudden 

 thermometrical changes which give birth and such destructive activity to 

 the mildew, the great enemy with which we have to contend in grape-cul- 

 ture. To this we may also add the shelter afforded by the buildings against 

 the cold winds so frequent in our spring season, preserving peaches, necta- 

 rines, and apricots from curl in the leaf, and other injurious effects produced 

 by sudden checks when in a tender, growing state. Besides this, the curculio 

 is seldom seen in cities. 



Having shown that it is feasible to grow fruit in city gardens, I would 

 urge upon persons having properly exposed situations in our large cities 

 to make the endeavor; knowing well, both from experience and observation, 

 that they will be amply rewarded for their labor. The situation should be 

 such as to have at least three or four hours' sunshine during the day, al- 

 though plums do not require even as much as this ; and, where the natural 

 surface has been taken away in making excavations for the buildings, an 

 artificial border of fresh soil from the country should be made, from four to 

 six feet wide and about two feet or thirty inches deep, mixing, say, one-fifth 

 or one-sixth of common stable-manure with it, or a barrel of coarse bone- 

 dust to every ten or twelve cubic yards of soil- I have seen vines do well 

 in the coarse, sandy debris of buildings full of brick-bats and lime ; but 

 these were exceptional cases. 



Peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, and figs may be grown as standards; 

 but it is better to train them on the fences or walls. The free use of the 

 syringe or garden-hose where water is introduced into the house will guard 

 against the red spider, the only insect likely to give any amount of trouble. 

 The pruning and training can be according to the taste or fancy of the 

 proprietor : only, for grapes, the I'homery system permits of a greater number 



