14 FRUIT CULTURE. 



growth of thoroughly ripened wood, in order to 

 insure hardiness. Kaspberries, gooseberries, and 

 currants may go between the rows of pears and 

 other trees, and in partial shade. Dwarf pears 

 and the quince will require the most retentive soil 

 in the garden. By this it is not meant that water 

 should ever stand, or that the ground should re- 

 main wet and sodden for a length of time after 

 heavy rains. Such a condition is fatal to all 

 garden fruits. Artificial drainage must be ap- 

 plied at the outset, if not provided by the nature 

 of the soil. 



Contrary to the prevailing impression, a com- 

 paratively elevated site is the safest position for 

 all fruits which suffer from frosts. In the val- 

 leys the soil is richer in vegetable matter, the 

 atmosphere is more humid, and evaporation from 

 the foliage is less rapid. The result is that vege- 

 tation is more succulent and tender than that 

 which is on higher ground. Add to this that 

 the changes in temperature are much greater in 

 valleys than upon hills, and the reason becomes 

 plain why the peach is fruitful on high land, 

 when it is killed in protected, low places. It is 

 not only, or mainly, that the thermometer runs 

 to the lowest extreme in the winter. But in the 

 summer nights also, the cold air settles down 

 into the valleys, causing a dank chill, which is in 



