178 West London Gardeners* Association. 



roots and top, which will invariably be the case in retentive soils, where 

 draining has not been properly attended to. The sap elaborated by the first 

 expanded leaves descends ; an extension of roots takes place, as well as an ex- 

 tension of top ; the tree is now suppUed with fresh absorbing and fresh per- 

 spiring organs ; a reciprocal action is carried on amongst all the parts, each 

 acting and being acted upon by every other part. With the exception of 

 fruits for kitchen use, he considered the size not so much the object as 

 flavour; and every gardener is aware that a dry atmosphere, and comparative 

 dryness in the soil are most congenial to flavour, by changing the moisture 

 into saccharine matter. In his observations on the advantages of shallow 

 borders, he remarked that the best-flavoured peaches he ever tasted were 

 grown on a border not more than 18 in. deep, the subsoil of the garden being 

 a retentive clay. The soil and clay were first cleared out to the depth of 

 20 in., giving it 4 or 3 inches of a slope from the wall to the walk ; breadth of 

 border 12ft. About Sin. of coal ashes and coarse gravel v/ere placed in the 

 bottom, watered and well rolled until it became like a barn floor. The soil was 

 brought in in March ; the trees were planted in April, in a bearing state, from 

 other walls in the garden ; a rubble drain was made along the length of the 

 border and cross ones laid at about 20 ft. distance leading into it. Several 

 loads of sandstone were placed indiscriminately in the border, during the 

 process of bringing in the soil, for the purpose of keeping it open ; which he 

 considers a good plan. Although the wood did not grow so strong as some 

 that were not removed, it proved better for bearing a more abundant crop, 

 which it ripened well, while the others kept growing until Christmas or till 

 nipped by the frost. 



In France the borders for peach trees seldom exceed 1 ft. of soil, upon 

 a dry bottom ; walls seldom more than 8 or 9 feet high ; and the trees renewed 

 every seventh or eighth year, as the fruit is not considered good from trees 

 above that age. The walls are furnished with a wooden coping about 18 in. 

 broad, which is found a great protection from perpendicular frost ; also the 

 greater portion of the vineyards in France are on a dry calcareous soil : the 

 best wines are made from vines growing almost, entirely on rocks, as they 

 contain a larger share of saccharine matter. We are all aware that vines will 

 grow stronger, and produce larger fruit, in richly prepared soils ; but he saw 

 excellent crops growing entirely in gravel and lime rubbish, and ripening their 

 fruit, which was excellent in flavour; while others which were grown in rich 

 soil did not ripen at all, although luxuriant and fruitful. He, therefore, con- 

 siders shallow borders with complete drainage as more certain to produce 

 fruitful trees, than deep borders where the roots penetrate below the action of 

 the atmosphere ; which is always more productive of leaves and branches than 

 of fruit. He is a strong advocate for the frequent removal of fruit trees, as it 

 checks over-luxuriance ; and a gardener of his acquaintance, celebrated for his 

 success in growing fine fruit, removes his peach trees every year. On the ad- 

 vantages of cutting the roots of over-luxuriant fruit trees, he observed that 

 Mr. Beattie of Scone cut, in July, the roots of his peach trees, within a few 

 feet of their stems ; they were thus deprived of the means of obtaining a great 

 quantity of sap, which would be expended in the production of wood, and they 

 became most fruitful. 



Mr. Keane observed that the paper brought forward by Mr. Fish was ex- 

 cellent, for the great practical information detailed, for the elaborate investi- 

 gation he has made, and for the lucid explanation he has given of the cause of 

 the circulation of the sap. His observations about the formation of fruit- 

 tree borders, in his opinion, are correct in the great advantages of having them 

 shallow. All soils fit for trees or plants must contain one or more of the four 

 primitive earths ; the siliceous, argillaceous, calcareous, and magnesious. None 

 of these earths, either separately or combined, will ever produce food for vege- 

 tables. Mould (the carbonaceous) is animal or vegetable decomposition : but 

 these in a pure state do not afford nourishment for vegetable life; it is when 

 the carbonaceous is combined with one or more of the primitive earths, and the 



