THE POSITION OP FRUIT-TREES. 



53 



sandy, soil. But there are exceptions to all rules, and what we have 

 already stated, as to the relative quality of soils, will apply pretty gen- 

 erally to the whole of this country, and it may be added that calcareous 

 soils, of whatever texture, are better than soils of the same quality where 

 no limestone is present. 



Trenching is the most complete method of improving a soil too 

 sandy, when the subsoil below is of a loamy or clayey nature. Deep 

 subsoil ploughing, by bringing up a sufficient quantity of the stratum 

 below, will answer the same purpose. When the subsoil of a sandy soil 

 is sand or gravel, the surface can only be improved by top-dressings or 

 the application of manures. Top-dressing with clay is the most simple 

 means of changing the nature of such a soil, and it is surprising how 

 moderate a quantity of clay will give a closer texture to light sandy 

 soils. In manuring such soils, we may greatly improve their nature as 

 well as condition by using composts of peat or bog earth, swamp muck, 

 or river mud, instead of common barn-yard or stable manure. The 

 former are not only more permanent and better as manures for fruit- 

 trees, but they gradually consolidate and improve the whole texture of 

 the soil. 



Indeed no fruit-garden, where the soil is not naturally deep and rich, 

 is in perfect condition for planting trees, unless the soil has been well 

 trenched two spades in depth. This creates a matrix for the roots so 

 deep and permanent that they retain their vigor and luxuriance through 

 the droughts of summer, and continue for a long time in a state of health 

 and productiveness. 



It is difficult to give any precise rules as to aspect. We have seen 

 fine fruit-gardens here in all aspects. Perhaps the very best aspect on 

 the whole is a gentle slope to the southwest, because in such positions 

 the trees when in blossom are somewhat protected from the bad effects of 

 a morning sun after spring frosts. But, to remedy this more perfectly, it 

 is sometimes the practice to plant on the north sides of hills, and this is an 

 effectual way where early frosts are fatal, and where the season is long 

 and warm enough to ripen the fruit in any exposure. A fine south slope 

 is, south of New York, frequently found too warm for many fruit-trees 

 in soils that are light and dry. 



Deep valleys with small streams of water are the worst situations for 

 fruit-trees, as the cold air settles down in these valleys in a calm frosty 

 night, and buds and blossoms are very frequently destroyed. We know a 

 rich and fertile valley of this kind in Connecticut where the Cherry will 

 scarcely grow, and a crop of the Apple or the Pear is not obtained once 

 in ten years ; while the adjacent hill-tops and high country, a couple or 

 three miles distant, yield abundant crops annually. On the other hand, 

 the borders of large rivers, as the Hudson, or of some of our large inland 

 lakes, are the most favorable situations for fruit-trees, as the climate is 

 rendered milder by large bodies of water. In the garden where we 

 write, a fourth of a mile from the Hudson, we have frequently seen ice 

 formed during the night of the thickness of a dollar, when the blossoms 

 of the Apricot were fully expanded, without doing the least harm to that 

 tender fruit. This is owing to the slight fog rising from the river in the 

 morning, which, softening the rays of the sun, and dissolving gradually 

 the frost, prevents the injurious effects of sudden thawing. At the same 

 time, a couple of miles from the shores, this fruit will often be quite 

 destroyed. In short, the season on the lower half of the Hudson may, 



