14S 



that a young tree should never be planted in soil from 

 which an old one has been removed, however good it 

 may be. The best plan is to exchange it for some of 

 the ordinary soil in the adjacent quarter, which has 



been occupied in vegetable culture : such will be fresh 

 to the apple in comparison with the rejected soil. 

 From four to six barrowsful of an adhesive loam will 

 be sufficient in a case of the kind, blending it well 

 with the common soil. Stagnant water must, of 

 course, be removed : vdthout this, all other prepara- 

 tions will be worthless. 



We invariably place stones, bricks, or cinders beneath 

 the soil, rammed down firmly at about twenty inches 

 below the ordinary ground level : this we hold indis- 

 pensable to a dwarfing system. TMienever, as before 

 observed, we find any of them growing too luxuriant, 

 we throw out a circular trench, and cut a few of the 

 extreme points of the roots away, filUng in the ex- 

 cavation with fresh soil from the vegetable ground. 



Root-cutting, however, requires some caution, and 

 should be done with moderation. If any doubts exist 

 as to the amount to be cut away, it is well to cut one- 

 half the circle only ; cutting the other half in the next 

 vear, if necessary. The best time to perfonn this ope- 

 ration is, we think, the end of October : the trees will 

 begin to make new fibres before the period of germi- 

 nation, which will save them from pernicious extremes. 



In pruning, we make a point of shortening all the 



