THE MANSE GARDEN. 99 



graceful bending of branches laden with, various 

 coloured fruits. 



Should you judge your soil too shallow or too 

 poor for a general planting in this way, and not un- 

 dergo the expense of trenching and manuring, the 

 next remedy, though a very inferior one, is to have 

 a succession of young trees. Almost any soil will 

 bear good fruit for a time. Set the tree on the very 

 top of the ground, gathering a little earth over its 

 roots, and spreading above some turf with the green 

 side down, or rough manure, or stones, so as to admit 

 the rain and keep out the sun; and use the pruning 

 knife with a view to encourage fruitbearing rather 

 than the growth of wood, taking care to cut out from 

 the middle the strongest branches, and to leave those 

 towards the outside which are smaller and pendent. 

 Thus, by causing the tree to spread and diminishing 

 its height, you lesson its growing powers, promote 

 fruitbearing, and retard the descent of the roots. 



With regard to the figure of young trees, in any 

 circumstances, it is better to have nothing to do 

 either with tying down the branches or with hoops 

 to keep them open, but to leave all to the knife. 

 Let the tree live on, in its own way, till it have some- 

 thing to spare, an,d then it is easy to shape it to your 

 fancy. The main thing to make it spread properly 

 is to cut each of the outer circle of shoots right over 

 a bud that looks outwards. This must be done at 

 the rise of the sap, in spring, as it is not safe, before 

 the winter frosts, to expose the bud, on which you 

 depend for future growth, to the rawness of an in- 

 cision so near it. This bud, pointing outwards, will 

 give rise to a shoot which will take a direction con-* 



