Citron T?*ee at Castle Seniple. 703 



Harvey to send for your inspection a citron, produced from 

 a large tree growing in his garden at that place. To this he 

 readily consented ; and intends sending it under the care, of 

 his eldest son, a young gentleman returning to school, after 

 the Christmas vacation, in the vicinity of London. Major 

 Harvey and family being at present residing in Edinburgh, 

 the fruit was sent here. As the tree has been a good deal 

 under my observation and directions, I proposed to the Major 

 to send you a short account of it along with the fruit, which 

 is the principal reason for my troubling you at this time with 

 these lines. 



This citron was planted in the old garden (now removed) 

 in the summer of 1818, in a small glazed apartment connected 

 with a conservatory ; the back wall of which was 1 6 ft. high, 

 flued, and covered with a trellis on which the tree was trained. 

 The soil was a rich brown loam, mixed with more than one 

 half of rotted leaves. It grew in this situation luxuriantly ; and 

 in three years overgrew the house. In consequence of which, 

 measures were taken to train one side on the back wall of the 

 conservatory, where it produced some fine fruit, but was more 

 inclined to grow than show flowers. 



A new garden having been determined on, to be erected at 

 a considerable distance from the old one, it became necessary 

 to remove the buildings, and, among the rest, the house that 

 protected the citron. Being desirous of having this valuable 

 plant preserved and carefully transplanted, I, accordingly, in 

 the end of autumn, 1824, caused a strong box (4 ft. square 

 and 3 ft. deep) to be built around the root, every plank being 

 well secured at the corners with strong iron bands, and the 

 sides otherwise well bound together ; the space between the 

 ball containingthe roots, and the sides of the box being filled up 

 with earth, and made very firm. The plant was then under- 

 mined, so as to get in the bottom of the box, piece by piece : 

 these were fixed to the sides by strong kneed irons, slipping 

 under the bottom and made firm to the sides ; and the whole 

 was supported by a series of brick pillars built under each 

 plank, forming the bottom of the box. The earth was now 

 filled in and levelled ; and in this position the plant stood till 

 the 12th of August, 1825. The new garden was founded about 

 the middle of March in that year ; and when the wall of the 

 orangery, which is flued, was finished, and a wooden trellis 

 put up, the tree was removed from the old to the new garden ; 

 and being set down in its place, the sides of the box were taken 

 away, and the bottom left under the roots ; soil of the same 

 quality as it originally grew in was carefully put round it. The 

 house was then founded and erected over the plant ; and, when 



