Treatment of Fruit Trees. 693 



Art. XX. Remarks on the Treatment of Fruit Trees. 

 By Mr. Robert Errington. 



Sir, 



I have just read with pleasure another soundly practical 

 paper by Mr. Hiver, in your last Magazine, and must say I 

 have for some time been very nearly of the same opinion, 

 especially with regard to the too prevalent error of making 

 deep and highly manured borders, and also of the necessity 

 of a perfect admission of heat and light to the embryo buds 

 to elaborate the sap ; and I think it will not be long before 

 these matters are admitted universally : but, as I think I can 

 offer a few remarks on fruit trees in general, which have not 

 come within the scope of Mr. Hiver's subjects, and which, 

 nevertheless, I flatter myself may be of some trifling service 

 to the uninitiated, I trust I may venture to do so. 



I must first premise, that it frequently happens that a gar- 

 dener, in changing situations, has to take to a lot of trees 

 troubled with that vegetable plethora long since described 

 by Mr. Hiver. I am one, and of course can speak feelingly. 

 I have a wall of peaches, which produced such wood as Mr. 

 Newington calls basket rods, and which I described to you in 

 a former Number as having been planted in a very porous 

 soil, in a highly manured state. What could I do ? I was 

 as sparing of the knife as possible, as far as shortening, 

 was concerned, leaving some of the shoots from 4 to 5 ft. in 

 length, knowing they had a superabundance of sap, which 

 would have vent in one shape or other ; but this did not suf- 

 ficiently avail. I therefore threw open a trench before them, 

 and cut with a knife what I considered to be a just proportion 

 of the deepest roots from them. The experiment has answered 

 my best expectations. Now I have a wall of these trees, 

 240 ft. in length, which I could show against any, and which 

 are that just medium between strength and weakness which 

 is the true criterion of fruitfulness in many trees. I must here 

 observe, that I thought it prudent in cutting to divide them 

 at a tuft of fibres (as I thought it probable they would heal 

 more quickly at such parts), and to spread those in a hori- 

 zontal direction ; and, I believe, by so doing there will be no 

 danger of suckers : at any rate, I have none ; and it is time 

 they showed themselves, if the practice would create them. 



I have since served two walls of pear trees in the same way, 

 and some plums also, which used to make breast wood a yard 

 from the wall. The result is, I have little breast wood now, 

 and the buds are forming in an excellent manner for fruit; 

 and I must say, that this method appears preferable to all the 



y y 3 



