602 Bicton Gardens, their Culture and Management. 



and a slip or belt fenced in with pale fencing from 30 ft to 36 ft. 

 from the wall, all round ; so that both sides of the wall were 

 brought into use. The wall was furnished with some of the 

 best-trained fruit trees that could be got at that time; some 

 from Lee and Kennedy's, others from France. They were 

 planted with great care, keeping the roots well to the surface ; 

 and they grew away to such a degree, that, to throw them into 

 a bearing state, in the spring of 1818 we root-pruned many of 

 them, which was the means of their making as beautiful, thick, 

 short -jointed, and full-eyed wood, as one could wish to see. 

 Indeed, in the ensuing summer, which was a very long, hot, and 

 dry summer, there was a beautiful crop of fine fruit on many of 

 the trees; and, in 1819 and 1820, I think I never in my whole 

 practice saw handsomer, better-trained, and more fruitful trees, 

 or trees that brought fruit to better perfection. Koot-pruning 

 occasionally any tree that is too luxuriant is the means of 

 immediately bringing it into a bearing state. The trees entirely 

 covered the wall in most places by 1820, and it was truly a 

 pleasure to be with them pruning, nailing, &c. On the 21st of 

 December of that year it set in a very cold strong-blowing north- 

 east wind, and froze very severely : it continued blowing and freez- 

 ing for many days. On the 20th of January, 1821, the wind 

 shifted full south, and on the morning of the 21st every thing- 

 was loaded with ice and rime ; and the thermometer exactly at 

 zero at five in the morning. On taking hold of iron it stuck to 

 my hands ; and the foggy rime so twinged my nose, that I was 

 obliged to put my hand to it. Having some distance to go that 

 morning, I could hai^dly keep my nose warm for some time. 

 The sun rose clear and bright, and melted off the rime ; and 

 almost every plant that was green, on which the sun shone, was 

 roasted up, and died. I recollect what a strong smell it caused in 

 the market-gardens about London. There was scarcely a green 

 vegetable left. The evergreens suffered greatly, and the above- 

 described fruit trees were so punished that they were completely 

 crippled. I recollect they never flourished after ; many of them 

 were cankered all over, where the sun was the most powerful. 

 When the pruning and nailing season came the young wood was 

 full of spots, and when the sap rose all these spots became 

 gummy. Likewise in many places about the old branches, par- 

 ticularly about the stem of the tree above where it was worked, 

 were other spots, where the bark died, and went dry, like as 

 if it had been burnt. The consequence was, when the trees 

 should have come into bloom, much of the bud had fallen off; 

 and much of it that did have strength to expand was so feeble 

 and weak that but a very scanty crop of fruit was the result the 

 following summer, and that but poor and small ; then, when the 

 leaf should have expanded, it took to curling up and blistering. 



