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 10 garden, 

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, but more 

 [ion of this 

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 he success- 

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 le, previous 

 lard. 



low, damp 

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 icr-drained 

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caused by 

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its nature, 



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it is found, 

 fruit-trees, 

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 ection from 

 jp over the 

 with irre- 

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 Where the 

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 sandy soils 



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are warmer in summer, they are much colder in 

 winter than loamy or even clayey soils, and that 

 trees are more liable to be winter-killed when 

 planted in sandy soils than in others ; while 

 springy or wet sandy soils are the worst of all. 

 In the colder portions of Canada an exposure 

 sloping to the south, south-east, or south-west, 

 will be found the best ; and if sheltered by trees 

 or hills on the north, north-east and north-west, 

 it will be all the better. 



A small orchard might in many cases bo 

 planted so as to be sheltered by the farm build- 

 ings on one side, and a hill or wood on two 

 other sides. The southern exposure might be 

 open without injury. This explanation will in- 

 dicate two of the advantages of planting trees 

 on the sides of hills, namely the natural drainage 

 and shelter afforded by such a site. 



LETTER SECOND. 



ON PLANTING AND CULTURE OF FRUIT-TREES. 



Dear Sir,— Before planting fruit-trees the 

 land should, as a general rule, be thoroughly 

 underdrained to an average depth of 30 inches, 

 except where the subsoil is of a gravelly or open 

 texture, or is otherwise drained naturally. I 

 would, however, be far from advising that fruit- 

 trees should not be planted till the land is under- 

 drained, as it would preclude many who can- 

 not afford that expense from planting at all, and 

 many fine orchards and gardens are to be found 

 on land that has not been underdrained ; but in 

 almost every soil, except as above mentioned, 

 underdraining will be found of great benefit. 

 In fact without it you cannot give the ground 

 the thorough deep culture necessary for the 

 healthy growth of the tree, and the full perfec- 

 tion and early maturity of the fruit. After the 

 land is underdrained it should be well manured, 

 and if for a garden trenched with the spade two 

 spits deep. If sufficiently large for an orchard 

 a subsoil plough should, if possible, be run as 

 deep as practicable in the furrow, after the com- 

 mon plough, the season before planting. A com- 

 mon Scotch iron plough, with the mould-board 

 taken off, makes a good subsoil plough for this 

 purpose. 



The directions for planting in all the horti- 

 cultural works I have read are in some essential 

 points erroneous, and apt to mislead new be- 

 ginners. For instance, they dkect that the 

 holes for planting the trees should be dug some 

 four feet wide and eighteen inches to two feet 

 deep, throwing away the subsoil and filling up 

 with a rich compost, than which no directions 

 could be worse in some soils or lead to more 

 disastrous results. Where the ground has been 

 underdrained and thoroughly trenched or sub- 

 soil-ploughed, and the manure well mixed 



in, it is quite unnecessary to dig holes larger 

 than required for the reception of the root"*, 

 and where the ground is not underdrained, 

 unless it has an open subsoil, it is absolutely in- 

 jurious to dig holes deeper than the subsoil. For 

 example, it the surface soil is eight inches deep, 

 and the subsoil a retentive clay, to dig a holo 

 eighteen inches deep, filling up with rich compost, 

 just encourages the roots to grow downward 

 into this hole, which, in autumn, winter, and 

 spring, is filled with water to the total destruc- 

 tion of the young spongy roots ; and if the tree ia 

 not killed the first winter, it has the same strug- 

 gle to go through each following year. In 

 all cases where it is not convenient to under- 

 drain such soils, the hole — though the wider the 

 better — should not be dug deeper than to the 

 subsoil, which may be loosened a spit deep, 

 but not taken out ; and if the surface soil is not 

 deep enough to cover the roots, good soil or 

 compost should be got from elsewhere to cover 

 the roots to the necessary depth ; but, such soils 

 cannot be profitably used for fruit-culture with- 

 out underdraining. 



The spring is undoubtedly the most natural 

 and suitable time for planting; but, in the 

 warmer parts of Western Canada, where the 

 ground is properly prepared or dry, the fall will 

 be found equally good for the apple, pear, and 

 plum ; but the more tender, such as the cborry, 

 peach, quince, &c., should be only planted in the 

 spring. Care, however, should be taken not to 

 plant too late in the fall, as the earth should be 

 fully settled about roots, and the trees well es- 

 tablished some time before the winter sets in. 

 From the middle of October to the middle of 

 November, according to the season or locality, 

 1 will be found the proper time for planting.— 



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