PREFACE 



This book is not a " treatise on manures," but 

 gives an account of the manures for fruit and other 

 trees, the ash-constituent of trees, and the most 

 suitable soils for the cultivation of trees and 

 shrubs. 



The art of manuring — and truly a great art — is 

 of the utmost importance, and no gardener or 

 cultivator, amateur or professional, can dispense 

 with it — in fact it is a sine qud non to every 

 cultivator of trees, fruit and flowers. The origin 

 of this art is of great antiquity, and only sur- 

 vives in the traditions of the great centres of 

 civilisation of bygone ages (Chinese, Indian, Per- 

 sian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman). Its growth 

 and development have been extremely slow ; but 



