VI.] 



TRAINING AND PRUNING. 



179 



or small fruit, they, in America, tirst put manure to a good distance 

 round the tree ; but, they are soon after that compelled to plough 

 up the whole of the land, to manure it, and to take a crop or two 

 of grain, most frequently buck-wheat, ploughing always as deep as 

 they can : after this, they lay the land down with grass again ; and 

 thus they keep up the bearing of their orchards. Mr. Platt had 

 a curious mode of making strong cider : in the month of January 

 or February he placed a number of hogsheads of cider upon stands 

 out of doors. The frost turned to ice the upper part of the con- 

 tents of the hogshead, and a tap drew off from the bottom the part 

 which was not frozen. This was the spirituous part ; and was as 

 strong as the very strongest of beer that can be made. The frost 

 had no power over this part ; but the lighter part, which was at the 

 top, it froze into ice. This, when thawed, was weak cider. This 

 method of getting strong cider would not do in a country like this, 

 where the frosts are never sufficiently severe. As to the sorts of 

 apples and of other fruit-trees, they will be spoken of under the 

 respective heads in the Alphabetical List. 



ALPHABETICAL LIST OF FRUITS. 



262. APPLE. — Apples are usually grafted on crab-stocks ; but 

 when you do not want the trees to grow so very tall and large, it 

 is better to raise the stocks from apple-pips ; because they cer- 

 tainly come into bearing sooner. Some graft apples upon stocks 

 raised from layers ; and these bring trees to bear quicker still. 

 The layers being raised, in the manner before mentioned, from the 

 limbs and shoots of apple-trees. See the word Layer in the Index. 

 Everything having before been said relative to the propagating, the 

 planting, the training, and the pruning, of apple-trees, there 

 remains to be spoken of here nothing but the different sorts. To 

 give an opinion as to the best sorts would perhaps be useless, 

 where the sorts are so numerous, and when tastes are so different. 

 I shall, therefore, with regard to eating apples, simply give, 

 from Mr. Aiton's Hortus Kewensis, a list of the apples grown 

 in the King's gardens : I shall then give the names of some of 



