400 Iransactions of the London Horticultural Society. 



" I had a small house erected for the experiment at Shobdon Court many 

 years ago to try the practice, and followed it up for two years with success ; 

 but the removal of the trees is unnecessary, as, with a due attention to the 

 roots, the following method answers better, and is attended with much less 

 trouble and expense than the above. 



" There are few gardens that have so much north w&Uing to spare, and a 

 better end is obtained without the sacrifice. 



" I confine the roots of my trees for forcing within a walled border of from 

 4 ft. to 6 ft. wide, according to the extent of surface which is desired for my 

 trees to cover, and from 16 in. to 18 in. deep. The soil which I use to plant 

 my trees in is nothing else than the perfectly fresh turfy top from a good 

 mellow loamy pasture field, coarsely chopped up ; and, if the trees are of a 

 proper age, the crop will be as fine the first season as at any future period. 



" I water plentifully, but judiciously, in the swelling season ; but more 

 plentifully in the last stage of sweUing, and then the fruit will swell off to a 

 fine size, if the following attentions be paid. 



" As soon as the fruit begins to change colour I leave off watering the 

 roots almost entirely, and none over the leaves and fruit till all is gathered ; 

 at the same time exposing them as much as possible to the direct action of 

 the sun's rays and atmospheric air, till all is gathered ; and, that I may lose 

 no time in my forcing by so much exposure to the atmospheric air and direct 

 rays of light, I allow the house to be very hot in the morning before I give 

 air ; and then I give it by degrees, till the roof is completely thrown open ; 

 and again, unless rain falls, I do not shut up till late in the day, and then in 

 sufficient time to allow of having a high temperature, either with fire or sun, 

 so as to accelerate the forcing, till I commence gathering ; at which period, if 

 I have enough for my demand, I keep all as open and exposed as possible, onty 

 sheltering from rain to the last. When I remove the lights, I wash the trees 

 several times, powerfully, and give a good soaking to the roots with soft, rain, 

 river, or pond water. 



" I renovate the roots every three or four years, by taking off 6 or 8 inches 

 from the top of my border, not even sparing the small roots ; and also 1 ft. or 

 18 in. from the extremity of the border, so as to clear away all the roots matted 

 against the wall, and fill up the trench as at first with fresh turfy soil, and 

 forking a portion in amongst the roots over all the border, so as to raise it a 

 little above its former height ; by this practice the trees are sufficiently reno- 

 vated for three or four years more, and do not receive such a check as by the 

 Dutch practice. It is astonishing to see the extraordinary accumulation of 

 spongelets which have ramified through every part of the fresh soil by the 

 time the fruit has stoned. 



" No tree will thrive, whatever the soil may be, if insects and moss are 

 suffered to harbour upon them ; and the best time to remove them is just 

 when the winter pruning is over ; I then go over every tree about the houses 

 and walls, in the most careful manner; first scraping off all possible extraneous 

 matter, after the trees are taken from the trelhs or wall. My composition is 

 as follows : — 



" The strongest drainage of the farm-yard, 1 gallon ; soft-soap, 1 lb. ; 

 flowers of brimstone, 1 lb. ; mix : let all stand for several days, stirring the 

 mixture three or four times a day ; get ready some finely sifted quicklime, 

 and stir into it, till of the consistence of good stiff paint, when it is ready to 

 be applied. Its effects are certain and excellent. 



' The tools I lay it on with are painters' sash-tools, of different sizes. I 

 coat over carefully every part of the tree, so effectually that not a bud, chink, 

 or crevice, escapes the mixture. I use the whitest lime for my hot-houses, as, 

 when dr}-, I can see any axil of a bud or crevice that may have escaped the first 

 dressing, and, to make sure, I go over them two or three times. After such a 

 dressing I find all animalcules so completely destroyed, that neither green fly, 

 thrips, scale, or red spider is to be seen during the season. 



'I I am indebted to our excellent and indefatigable President for the above 

 recipe, with some little alteration. 



