26 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTUEIST. 



under precisely opposite conditions. His complaint is more particu- 

 larly with respect to black spots, or fungus, in the Snow Apple ; but 

 this is not the only point in which his fortunate neighbor fares better 

 than himself, for he says this neighbor " gets finer fruit and more of 

 it," a result of course very discouraging to one who has done all that 

 he knows how to do for the benefit of his young orchard ; and appears 

 to be so contrary to all that we should be led to expect, that it becomes 

 particularly interesting to enquire further as to the cause. 



Mr. Croil informs us that his trees are planted thirty feet apart ; 

 that he has carefully cultivated the ground since planting ; that he 

 has given repeated heavy dressings of ashes and barn-yard manure, 

 and pruned regularly every June. His neighbor had not applied 

 lime, ashes, or any other fertilizer for years ; his trees were planted at 

 less than half the usual distances; they were mostly growing in sod, 

 ^nd were rarely pruned. Both orchards were planted about the same 

 time — say, ten years ago. 



These are the conditions as given by your contributor; but he has 

 not told us whether the trees are standard or half standard ; nor what 

 kind of soil and subsoil they are growing on, which it is highly 

 important should be known, and particularly as to whether either of 

 the subsoils may be considered springy. I have an idea that the 

 successful growth of fruit trees depends more on the subsoil than on 

 any other one thing that can be mentioned; and it would be interesting 

 to know whether it is any defect of that kind that has affected Mr. 

 Croil's trees. But he says his trees are thrifty. Perhaps they are too 

 much so, and perhaps "liis neighbor's are the reverse. 



It is found that any cause or treatment that attacks the life of a 

 tree, such as root-pruning, &c., tends also to make it produce fruit. 

 Mr. Croil's neighbor has seeded his orchard down, which is a very 

 effective way of attacking the life of young trees ; and perhaps it has 

 for the time induced them to grow fruit; but if so, it is like killing the 

 goose that lays the golden eggs, as will be found out before the trees 

 are double their present age. On the other hand, his own trees have, 

 perhaps, been making an extraordinary growth of wood, during which, 

 of course, they could not be expected to produce a great deal of fruit. 



As regards the distance the trees are planted apart, I consider that 

 during the first ten or fifteen years, they would do better at fifteen 

 than thirty feet, although that would pf course be toQ pear for a fuU-r. 



