Construction of Fruit Corridors. 275 



of my statement by that than by more delicate fruit trees. 

 Nevertheless, the argument holds equally good with fruit trees of 

 all kinds. To this, as the root of the evil, may be referred the 

 barrenness that ringing cures in the apple tree, and the gross- 

 ness that root-pruning cures in all trees, by causing the sap 

 to be more highly elaborated when the communication is inter- 

 cepted, than it is in other trees and branches whose vessels are 

 saturated with moisture of the worst kind, which they have been 

 compelled, as it were, to suck up ; rain, perhaps, at a temperature 

 of 33°. Whilst the leaves hang on the tree, they are constantly 

 at work on it; there is no such thing in the laboratory of Nature 

 as a drone : for if a leaf could be idle it must die, every leaf 

 having a debtor and creditor account to make up for every mo- 

 ment of its existence ; it draws from the air and earth, and elabo- 

 rates and returns the same in different shapes substantial and 

 aeriform. As it is therefore necessary to supply this set of organs 

 with proper food, it must be very evident that frosty rain cannot 

 be the suitable sauce to be taken with it; and here lies the 

 greatest blame in allowing it to fall in drenching torrents on the 

 fruit border as long as it happens to continue, instead of allow- 

 ing the border a moderate quantity just when it wanted it, and 

 that, too, at a mild temperature : and though I may be told that 

 the border is well drained, and that the surplus water soon runs 

 off and never can stagnate, I maintain that the safest course 

 would be, not to let it run on. 



In order to secure the expanded blossoms and newly set 

 fruits from the deceitful frosts of April and even May, the 

 keeping of the trees at night perfectly dry must be greatly in 

 their favour. This is attained by the roof only : and, as the wind 

 is generally from the north in frosty weather, the fruit corridor 

 will have one half less frosty wind at all times than the common 

 wall ; and the grower who wishes to shut it out altogether may 

 use rick cloths on rollers (see Gard. Chron. for a plan of pre- 

 paring it waterproof) by night and during storms, and roll 

 them up at other times under the coping of the corridor, secur- 

 ing them there by loops of cord. I had used to roll up bunting 

 in this manner under the coping of the peach walls at Alderley, 

 Cheshire, and found it answer admirably and at little expense; 

 yet it yielded little or no protection from rain to the leaves and 

 blossoms, and none whatever to the roots in the border. 



The peach-growers in the northern counties have to struggle 

 sorely and against the stream ; for the whole system of the tree 

 is soft and watery from want of sun and dryness to elaborate and 

 harden the proper juices, and thus bring it into a state fa- 

 vourable to the reproduction of its kind. We may prune and 

 train after all the various fashions, and anoint with embrocations 

 of all kinds, and we may waste fuel in flued walls to ripen the 



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