Bicton Gardens, their Culture and 3Ianagement. 601 



arise from its placing at the disposal of the remaining buds a 

 much greater quantity of organised matter than they would 

 otherwise possess, which enables them to nourish and mature 

 the fruit they produce to a proportionately greater extent. It 

 is, in fact, neither more nor less than undercropping, which 

 Mr. Hoare is so constantly and so strenuously insisting upon in 

 his book, and in his intervicAvs with gardeners and amateurs, by 

 great numbers of whom he is visited. Mr. Roberts's practice, 

 Mr. Hoare observes, would be of no benefit on the open wall. 

 There are many statements and recommendations in Mr. 

 Koberts's book, in reference to the glass culture of the vine, 

 which Mr. Hoare does not approve of; and, in short, he con- 

 siders the disbudding with the leaves on as the only part that 

 claims either to be new or of much value. 



Art. VII. Bicton Gardens, their Cidture and Management, in a Series 

 of Letters to the Conductor. By James Barnes, Gardener to the 

 Right Honourable Lady Rolle. 



{Continued from p. 546.) 



Letter. XXII. The principal Causes of Canker in Peaches, Nectarines, and 



Apricots. 



Having promised you, when here, a few of my own practical 

 observations on what I consider the principal cause of canker in 

 peaches, nectarines, and apricots, I now send them to you. Every 

 person that is in any way whatever acquainted with those fruits 

 knows they are not natives of this country, and that they require 

 the protection and assistance of a wall, &c. ; but we never shall 

 have good and certain fruit-bearing trees, of the above kinds, in 

 this country, for many years together, until we give them some 

 farther protection than a bare wall. I have been perfectly 

 satisfied, for some years, that the winters we get are the principal 

 cause of the canker in our fruit trees ; and presently, in my 

 humble way, I will attempt to point out several instances that I 

 have observed in the course of my pi-actice. 



In the years 1815 and 1816, I recollect assisting to make a 

 new kitchen-garden in a field, where the surface soil, for about 

 2 ft. in depth, was a beautiful sandy loam ; the subsoil a sand : 

 in some places there were spots of marl to be seen in trenching it, 

 which was Avell done ; in others a shell rock, that is, thin layers 

 of flat stone ; and altogether as fine a bottom, for the well-doing 

 of fruit trees and kitchen-gardening generally, as one could wish. 

 Where it was considered more soil was required, it was carted 

 from an adjoining field, taking the surface spit of an old jjasture, 

 and an old hedge-bank. A 12 ft, wall was built all round it. 



