86 HORTICULTURE. 



one of our large cities soutli of New- York, where the soil and cli- 

 mate are particularly fine for fruit-growing — where the most deli- 

 cious peaches, pears, and apricots gro* almost as easily as the apple 

 at the north,' it was confidently stated to us by several amateurs, that 

 the foreign grape could not be cultivated in vineries there — " several 

 had tried it and failed." We were, of course, as incredulous as if 

 we had been told that the peach would not ripen in Persia, or the 

 fig in Spain. But our incredulity was answered by a promise to 

 show us the next day, that the thing had been well tried. 



We were accordingly shown : and- the exhibition, as we sus- 

 pected, amounted to this. The vineries were in all cases placed and 

 treated, in that bright, powerful sunshine, just as they would have 

 been placed and treated in Britain — ^that is, facing due south, and 

 generally under the shelter of a warni bant. Besides this, not half 

 provision enough was made, either for ventilation or water. The 

 result was perfectly natural. The vines were burned up by excess 

 of light and heat, and starved for want of air and water. We pointed 

 out how the same money (no small amount, for one of the ranges 

 was 200 feet long), applied in building a span-roofed house, on a 

 perfectly open exposure, and running on a north and south., instead 

 of an east and west line, and treated by a person who would open 

 his eyes to the fact, that he was no longer gardening in the old, but 

 the new world — ^would have given tons of grapes, where only pounds 

 had been obtained. 



The same thing is seen on a smaller scale, in almost every fruit 

 garden that is laid out. Tender fruit trees are planted on the south 

 side of fences or walls, for sun, when they ought always to be put on 

 the north, for shade ; and foliage is constantly thinned out, to let 

 the sun in to the fruit, when it ought to be encouraged to grow 

 thicker, to protect it from the solar rays.* 



But, in fact, the whole routine of practice in American and 

 British horticulture, is, and must be essentially different. We give 

 to Boston, Salem, and- the eastern cities, the credit of bearing oflFthe 



* If we were aakod to say what practice, founded on principle, had been 

 most beneficially introdnced into our horticulture — we should answer 

 mulching — mulching suggested by the need of moisture in our dry climate, 

 the difficulty of preserving it about the roots of plants. 



