T28 PRACTICE OF GARDENING. PART III. 



to the extremity of the tree, for next year's bearers ; cutting out past bearers to rnae room. It is pialn 

 that the morelfo ought to have no stubs left with a view to spurs, and all fore-right shoots ought to be 

 disbudded while young. To leave a convenient space for young wood, train the present bearers six inches 

 apart ; lay in between each of these one young snoot for bearing next year, which will make the promis- 

 cuous distance three inches." 



4590. Underwood (Caled. Mem. i. 427.) has often observed, when the branches of cherry-trees are laid 

 in too near to one another, or are crossed by branches of the same kind, or by plum-tree branches, as is 

 sometimes the case, that although there be abundance of blossom, yet there is no crop, even in good 

 seasons. On examining the blossom, produced on such crowded shoots, he found, that in fifty flowers, 

 there were not above two styles, of course no fruit could be expected. By not laying in the branches so 

 close, and by removing all superfluous summer shoots, more light and air was admitted, and he had, in 

 consequence, plentiful crops. 



4591. Renovating old or decayed trees. Proceed as in renovating the plum. 



4592. Protection from birds. " As cherries, in a ripening state, are frequently attacked by birds, it is 

 advisable to have choice wall-trees or espaliers defended with large nets in due time. Old fishing-nets 

 may also be spread over the branches of dwarf standards. To protect other standard trees, let scarecrows 

 and clap-boards be put up in terrorcm." 



4593. Gathering the fruit. Use the hand, taking hold of the fruit-stalk, in gathering from the wall, and 

 the cherry-gatherer, in gathering, from distant branches of high standards. 



4594. Insects, diseases, &c. \\ all cherry-trees are often infested with the red spider, but standards are 

 generally not much injured by insects. Naismith says, " our cherry-trees, both in the open air, and on 

 the natural walls, particularly the tops of the young shoots, are much attacked with a small black insect, 

 provincially called the black beetle. The remedy I have found most effectual for their destruction, is, a 

 mixture of pitch, with one sixteenth part of powdered orpiment, one sixteenth part of sulphur, dissolved 

 over a slow fire in an earthen pipkin, until they be well incorporated ; when cold, divide it into small 

 pieces, about the size of a hen's egg, and burn it under the trees with damp straw, directing the smoke as 

 much as possible where the insects are most numerous. In an hour afterwards (if the state of the fruit 

 will admit) give the trees a good washing with the garden-engine, which generally clears off the half- 

 dead beetles, and prevents the spreading of the red spider." (Caled. Mem. ii. 90.) 



SECT. III. Berries. 



4595. Of the cultivated berries the gooseberry is the most useful species in Britain, in 

 which it is grown in far greater perfection than in any other country ; next to the goose- 

 berry is the currant, valuable as affording wine ; besides these are included the mulberry, 

 raspberry, strawberry, barberry, and elderberry. 



SUBSECT. 1. Slack, or Garden Mulberry. Moms nigra, L. (Blackw. t. 126.) 

 Moncecia Tetrandria, L. and Urticece, J. Murier, Fr. ; Maulbeerbaum, Ger. ; and 

 Moro, Ital. 



4596. The black mulberry is a middle-sized tree, with a whitish bark, and broad, sub- 

 quinquelobate, bluntish, and rugged leaves. It has generally male flowers or catkins, on 

 the same tree with the fruit, which is a turbinate berry. Young trees from seed, Professor 

 Martyn and Knight observe, often show nothing but male flowers for several years, and 

 yet afterwards produce also female flowers, and become fruitful. The fruit of seedling- 

 trees, it is said, is the largest and best flavored. The black mulberry is a native of Persia, 

 and it is supposed was brought to Europe by the Romans, as Pliny mentions two varie- 

 ties. It will not live in the open air in several parts of Sweden, and is treated as a wall- 

 tree in the north of Germany. It is mentioned by Tusser, in 1573, and was cultivated 

 by Gerrard, in 1596. In some of the old kitchen-gardens near London, there are trees 

 of a very great age, which are very healthy and fruitful. Bradley says, that most of 

 these were planted in the time of James the First, who attempted unsuccessfully to set up 

 a silk manufacture in England ; but the species on the leaves of which silk-worms are 

 fed, is the white mulberry (Moms alba}, whose fruit is not of any value. Forsyth men- 

 tions " four large mulberry- trees as still standing on the site of an old kitchen-garden, 

 now part of the pleasure-ground at Sion House, which the late Duke of Northumberland 

 used to say were about three hundred years old." The mulberry is remarkable for putting 

 out its leaves late, so that when they appear, which is generally in May, with the leaves of 

 the common ash-tree, the gardener may take it for granted that all danger from frost is 

 over. There is a curious tree formed by two stems proceeding from a fallen trunk on the 

 site of the garden of the Abbey of St. Augustine at Canterbury, which must at least be 

 300 years old, probably much older. (Neill, in Hort. Tour, &c. p. 13.) 



4597. Use. The fruit is brought to the dessert, and recommends itself by its highly 

 aromatic flavor, and abundant subacid juice. It is very wholesome, cooling, and rather 

 laxative. Like the strawberry, it does not undergo the acetous fermentation, and there- 

 fore may be safely eaten by gouty and rheumatic persons. An agreeable wine is made 

 from the juice ; a syrup is obtained from the unripe berries, which is used as a gargle in 

 cases of sore throat ; and the bark of the tree is a vermifuge. 



4598. Varieties. Only one variety of the black is mentioned by Miller, with palmate leaves and smaller 

 fruit. 



4599. Propagation. By seed, layers, cuttings, or grafting. The first is the least advisable mode, unless 

 for stocks to inarch upon, because, though some affirm the fruit of seedlings to be the largest, yet the plant* 

 are very long of coming into bearing. 



4600. By layers. " These will generally take root sufficiently the first year to bear separating from the 

 parent tree, and should then be planted in a nursery, and trained up with single stems. In four years they 

 will be fit to plant out where they are to remain. They should be planted at a proper distance to admit the 



