54 Evils of planting Fruit Trees in too rich Soil. 



There are numbers of our new sorts of pears lately intro- 

 duced, of a very superior quality, which deserve to be more 

 extensively known and cultivated ; many of which, with their 

 time of ripening, exposure required, as quenouilles and other- 

 wise, I will give you in some future Number. 



I am, Sir, &c. 



Bernard Saunders. 

 Nursery, Island of Jersey, April 14. 1829. 



Art. XIV. On the Evil Effects of planting Fruit Trees in too rich 

 a Soil. By Mr. Robert Errington. 



Sir, 

 I am led to make the following remarks from observing 

 the evil effects arising from planting fruit trees in too rich a 

 soil, especially peaches and nectarines, trusting they may be 

 of service in preventing the misapplication of dung by those 

 who are not practical hands in the business. The trees 

 alluded to were planted in the spring of 1827, on a southern 

 aspect ; the natural soil of the border is a very light sandy 

 loam, of no tenacity, but containing a trifling degree of a kind 

 of marly principle : this soil is about 20 in. deep, on a stratum 

 of red sand of 4 ft., and the subsoil altogether very dry. The 

 person who planted them (now no more) had a heavy coat of 

 rotten dung put on about 1 ft. thick, and trenched 20 in. 

 deep, which, of course, threw the dung with some soil on the 

 sandy stratum. After this another coat of dung was dug in 

 at top, and the trees planted in rich soil also. The trees the 

 first season were very vigorous, but this year they have sur- 

 passed all that I ever witnessed, some shoots being nearly 6 ft. 

 long and thick in proportion, and most of them run to laterals ; 

 and now it is difficult to know how to prune them to provide 

 for a regular succession of wood, unless, as Agronome manages 

 his apples, I cut off two feet from three, and so on ; which 

 method of pruning, however it may have succeeded with him, 

 I distrust, and would rather follow Mr. Harrison. I find the 

 roots have entered the dung at the bottom, which of course 

 causes the redundance of sap ; and when they have exhausted 

 that superficial fund, the reciprocal balance between the root 

 and branches being destroyed, many injurious effects must in- 

 evitably follow. Now had the soil in which they were planted 

 been dressed with as much sound loam, with a little dung, they 

 would have grown more steadily and have been incomparably 



