MANAGEMENT OF FRUIT TREES, &c. er 



The tree above-mentioned had a decayed rotten root, the 

 dead part of which I cut all away, till I came to the sound 

 wood. Whenever the trunk is hollow, you must follow it 

 under ground till you have cut out all the decayed parts and 

 rotten roots ; otherwise you will lose the tree. 



By proceeding according to the foregoing directions, 

 the root will be renewed, while the tree is forming a fine 

 handsome head. In the mean-time trench your borders, tak- 

 ing up all the old roots, and add some fresh mould to them, 

 if you can conveniently get it ; if you cannot, remove all the 

 sour mould that is about the roots of the trees, and put in 

 some taken from the border, at a distance from the wall ; 

 always remembering to lay the top spit next to the roots of 

 the trees ; also, mix some vegetable mould, from the melon 

 and cucumber beds, with rotten leaves, as a manure for the 

 borders. 



I have headed down many trees that had not this pre- 

 paration ; and yet they throve very well, but did not send 

 forth such fine roots and shoots as those that v/ere so pre- 

 pared. 



If the above directions be followed, you will get more 

 pears in three or four years than you can in twenty-five years 

 by planting young trees, and pruning and managing them in 

 the common way. 



If pears are grafted on free stocks, such as Colmars, 

 Pear D'Auch, Crasanes, L'Eschasseries, Virgouleuses, and 

 Winter and Summer Bonchretiens. 



The depth of the mould for pear-trees should never be 

 less than three feet, laying the best mould at top, to encourage 

 the roots to come as near the surface as possible. If the bot- 

 tom be clay it will be very necessary, once in every five or six 

 years, to open the ground round the roots of the trees, and cut 

 off all the large ones that are inclining to run into the clay ; by 

 fio doing your trees will throw out fresh roots that will run near 

 the surface, provided the mould is good near the top. 



You may have a crop of early peas, lettuce, or spinach, or 

 any other small crops on the ground, during the winter and 

 spring ; but no late crops by any means. If the ground can be 

 spared, I would advise to have no summer crops ; but keep 

 the borders hoed, in particular after rain, otherwise the ground, 

 if a strong loamey or clayey soil, will be apt to crack in dry 

 weather ; but by frequent stirring between wet and dry this will 

 be in a great measure prevented, and the sun's rays admitted 

 into the mould, which will greatly heighten the flavour of the 

 fruit. When you can conveuiently spare the ground in winter, 



