HORTICULTURE. 



215 



_ state. If the soil be bad, it nay be mended . 

 if the "tree be full '>:' worn-out spurs, new horizontal 

 branches, or new dependent shoots, as above exempli, 

 tied, may be procured : if the fort of fruit be bad, 

 grafts of more approved kind* may, as we have een, 

 be introduced. Mr James Smith, gardener to the 

 Earl of Hopetoun, at Hopctoun House, has written a 

 insible paper (published in the first volume of 

 the Scottish Horticultural Memoirs) on the cultivation 

 of French peart in Scotland. It contains some judi- 

 cious remarks on the mean.* of bringing into n bearing 

 state such full grown trees as are nearly barren of 

 fruit, although in a luxuriant state of growth. In the 

 fume volume there is a communication from Mr Tho- 

 mas Thomson, an experienced gardener, on thi< sub. 

 ject. In order to check unprofitable luxuriance, he 

 particularly recommends cutting some of the roots of 

 the tree, at the distance of about fotir feet from the 

 such roots as incline downward*. He 



especially si 

 ons his Viav 



sving brought a crasiane tree into a 

 ttate by cutting it two-thirds throngh with a 

 w, below the level of the earth, and above the 

 forking* of the root. From being very luxuriant but 

 barren, it was thus rendered less luxuriant but fruitful, 

 yielding next season, ' at one gathering, forty-seven 

 dozen of handsome fruit." If horuontally trained tree* 

 have becusne fall of old spars and breast wood, the 

 most effectual remedy (as described by another judi- 

 cious Scottish gardener, Mr Alexander Stewart at Val- 

 leyfield, in Horl. Mrm. i. 459-) is found in cutting 

 oat every second branch on each side, within a few 

 inches' of the stem. New shoots are trained along, in 

 place of the former blanches ; bat in the mean time a 

 number of side-snoots fVuofc* toe remaining o 



TTI irV *, * nn 



Uid in 



s are 



these, Mr Stewart remarks, form tine fruit 

 to the young wood from the stem of the 

 and they also tend to lessen the production of 

 breastwood : they are however removed, as the regular 

 new horizontal biandies advance. In making > 

 these aide shoots, it may be remarked, Mr Stewart had 

 very nearly hit on the mode of management now adopt, 

 ed and recommended by Mr Knight. 



In managing prepared borders, planted with the 

 finer aorta or pear trees, it is important, that, during 

 the summer, particularly if the soil be Urong or hv 

 chned to clayey, they be occasionally forked orer, or 

 that the light crop supposed to be on this bonier be 

 ftaquemlji hoed. If the season prove dry, and at the 

 ame time the soil be right, water ii given to the trees. 

 A hollow is formed around the stem, and two or three 

 paflfUs of water poured into it once a-wrek or oftcner ; 

 some sw/cA being at the sane time formed to prevent 

 rapid evaporation- la this way the fruit, while in pro- 

 gress; is kept constantly and uniformly in a growing 

 or advancing state When ripening approaches, tin- 

 water is withheld lest die flavour should suffer. 



Cydtmi* of 

 1 hii not being 



122. The Qawsce trtt is the 



I.irme, the coigtatrtrr of the Fm 

 very much cultivated in Britain, it may be mentioned", 

 that the tree is of low growth, much branched, and ge- 

 nerally distorted ; Mid that there are different varieties 



oblong, or 

 BT quince. 



The sjymcs is a native of some parts of Oeiinany. It 

 was known in England in the time of Germrde, and 

 probably long before. The fruit has a peculiar, rather 



- 



of the fruit. globular, or 

 Portugal quince; and pet 



disagreeable smell, and an austere ta.ste when raw ; 

 but when prepared it is by many held in esteem. A 

 small portion of it added to stewed or baked apples is 

 u-eful for giving quickness and flavour. Quince mar- 

 malade is commonly sold in the confectioners shops. 

 The Portugal quince is the best, but the fruit is pro- 

 duced sparingly. Like the others, it is of a yellow co- 

 lour ; but the pulp has the property of assuming a fine 

 purple tint in the course of being prepared. The quince 

 tree is propagated by layers, by suckers, or by cutting;. 

 It thrives best in a moist soil, hut the fruit is superior 

 in a dry one. In this country, the fruit scarcely ripens 

 unless the tree be trained to a wall ; ami, even then, it 

 is not ready till November. 



Grape J'ine. 



123. The vine, or grape tree, (1'ilis \-inif era, L. Pen- Vin*. 

 landria Monogytiia ; filet, Juss.) it is pcrhap< super- 

 fluous to mention, has a twisted irregular stem, with 

 very long flexible branches, supporting themselves by 

 means ot tendrils ; the leaves large, lobed, alternate, on 

 long foot-stalks ; the flowers in a raceme, of a herba- 

 ceous colour, insignificant in appearance, but fragrant. 

 The berry, or grape, is generally globular ; in some 

 varieties oval ; of various colours, green, yellowish, or - 

 amber, reddish brown, and black. 



I ;l. It lias generally been said, that the vine was 

 introduced into this country by the Rumans ; but from 

 Tacitus we learn, that it was unknown in Britain when 

 Julius Agricola had the command. It was probably 

 first cultivated here in the time of the later Emperors, 

 perhaps about the dose of the 3d century. 



At the date of the Conquest there seem to have been Enslnfc 

 vineyards in the south and south west of England, wi 

 From that period downward to the Reformation, vine- 

 yards appear to have been attached to all the principal 

 religious foundations in England ; and it is somewhat 

 curious, that from the time of the Reformation to the 

 present day they have in a great measure disappeared. 

 A few, however, have occasionally been formed. From 

 the Miutum llutlicum we learn, that one was establish- 

 ed at Arundel Castle in Suksex about the middle of the 

 last century j and that in 1763, there were in the Duke 

 folk's cellars sixty pipes of EnglUh burgundy. 

 its produce. ProfcMor Marty n of Cambridge has, witli 

 his usual industry, drawn together the evidence con- 

 cerning the culture of the grape vine in Britain in 

 former times, and the practicability of resuming it ; 

 and be concludes, that in former times there were ma- 

 ny real vineyards in England, not merely orchards 

 and plantations of currants, as the Hon. Dairies Bar- 

 rington and others have suspected ; and gives it as his 

 opinion, tliat vineyards might still be successful in the 

 11 and western parts of England, in proper soils 

 nations, if conducted by persons skilled in their 

 management. The earliest and hardiest grapes, or 

 those best suited to the climate, are not, howe\cr, well 

 calculated for the making of wiitc. The miller and 

 small black cluster may do ; but they are inferior to 

 the Urge bLck clutter, which has an austere taste. Mr 

 Vispri'-, in 1786, published a dissertation on the growth 

 of \ ines hi England. He proposed to train the shoota, 

 like the runners of melons and cucumbers, near the 

 ground; and he actually found, that the berries tl,i.- 

 produced were larger than those of the same kinds 

 trained against a smith wall. In the north of France, 

 ft is well known, the vines arc trained very low, nut 

 rising more than four or five feet from the ground. 



