on the Management of Peach Trees* 433 



The borders of such trees require to be kept poor : much 

 dung encourages excrescent shoots. Now, what worse Avould 

 the trees be if the border were lightly cropped* with early pota- 

 toes, dwarf peas, French beans, &c. ? I say, nothing worse, but 

 better. Mr. Newington says, it is a sure mark of a bad cul- 

 tivator to see the fruit-tree borders cropped with vegetables. 

 He says the trees should not be vigorous, yet he will not 

 allow vegetables to draw a little of the nutriment from the 

 border. How is this ? Early vegetables, on the open ground, 

 must be had, and are generally more esteemed than any other ; 

 and if they must not be raised on the peach borders, what 

 other means are the majority of gardens furnished with so 

 desirable for that purpose? I unhesitatingly assert, that lightly 

 cropping these borders is in conformity with nature, harm- 

 less, economical, and convenient. 



Therefore, Mr. Newington may mark me down a bad cul- 

 tivator. He may remove his trees as often as he pleases, and 

 I shall never say he does wrong, provided he does not try to 

 persuade others to do likewise, and dub them " bad culti- 

 vators " if they do not follow his precepts. The practice, at 

 Hylands, of removing the trees annually is, I take it, chiefly 

 for the purposes of preparing the dung-bed, repairing the 

 paper frame, and obtaining early crops in succession, in places 

 too confined for healthy trees ; and, by this practice, they 

 obtain annually half a crop, as the trees are at work one year, 

 and resting the next to recruit their strength. But I do not 

 condemn the plan : I can allow others their fancies, if I am 

 allowed mine ; and mine would be, to have healthy, well fur- 

 nished, established trees, both on the walls and in the house ; 

 and, for successions of early fruit, of "just enough and nothing 

 to spare," I should have small compartments. I should not 

 be nice about the mode of heating. I would have the border 

 both inside and outside the house, the front wall upon arches ; 

 the trees planted inside, and trained nearly parallel with the 

 glass, and about 1 8 in. from it. Somehow, I cannot fancy that 

 these portable trees at Hylands are either healthy, handsome, 

 or well furnished. 



But you will be tired, Sir, of my zig-zag track ; and I con- 

 fess that, when I set out, I did not intend taking so wide 

 a range : but the fact is, when I get on my hobby-horse, 

 there is no knowing where I shall stop. I am afraid, Sir, 

 your patience has been tried in following my rambles in this 

 hasty ride ; but, I trust, if I have not kept»a direct path, you 

 will do me the justice to believe that I have all the while been 

 endeavouring to point out the high-road — truth ; and I hope 

 I have stumbled upon something worth marking. I will now 



Vol. VI. — No. 27. f f 



