43 



rains, snow, and frosts may convey the elements of fertility to the 

 roots ; ' and ' that, by this method, one load will do more good 

 than two used in the common way of trenching in to the depth of 

 one foot.' Other distinguished cultivators and scientific ijrentle- 

 men recommend the same practice. Hence we are of opinion 

 that our orchards and gardens should be manured in the autumn, 

 and on the surface, so that the manures mny be thoroughly de- 

 composed, made soluble during the fall and winter, and suitable 

 for the nourishment of the tree early in the spring. In the his- 

 tory of this art, as of most others, it is wonderful how human 

 opinions change. What were once consirlered as fundamental, 

 are now rejected as unphilosophical or injurious, and those once 

 rejected are now adopted as wise maxims. The doctrine has pre- 

 vailed, from the time of Columella and Varro, that manures 

 should not be exposed to the air, but should be incorporated with 

 the soil as soon as laid out ; whereas, we have now the opinion of 

 cultivators and chemists in favor of exposure to the air and other 

 external agents of decomposition, and that it is not a source of 

 nutrition to the plant until it is thoroughly decomposed. This 

 opinion is certainly corroborated by the practice of skilful garden- 

 ers in all past time, who will never use green manure in the pot- 

 ting or cidtivation of plants, and only that which has become old 

 and fine." 



Although Mr W. seeks for all the novelties of the orchard, his 

 experience long since led him to the belief that we must look to 

 our own seedhngs, as a general rule, for the fruits best adapted to 

 our location. His maxim is — " Plmit the most ^nature andinr- 

 fect seed of the most liardy^ vigorous, and valuable varieties, and, 

 as a shorter process, insuring more certain and satisfactory/ results, 

 cross or hybridize your bestfruits^ 



Acting under this impression he has a large number of seedling 

 pears which have been produced from the best sorts in his . collec- 

 tion, some of which have already borne fruit. His method of 

 hastening their progress, is to engraft the seedling when it is only 

 a year old, on a strong, thrifty branch, or on a mature stock. 

 We saw shoots of these more than two feet in length, from seeds 

 that had been sown the previous year. By this process the seed- 

 lings attain a strong, vigorous habit and have plump, mature 

 buds. These are then worked on the quince stock, Avhich brings 

 them early into a bearing state. Although Mr. W. advises the 

 sowing of seeds which have not been artificially impregnated, yet 

 he would encourage the crossing of the best varieties, where the 

 cultivator has time, patience, and skill, the result of which will be 

 more certain and expeditious. As an illustration of this principle, 

 we may point to the great success of i\Ir. W. more than twenty 

 years ago, in the application of this delicate and beautiful art to 

 the hybridization of the Camellia, and by which he obtained the 



