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PROTECTED TRELLISES FOR THE 



After the drains were covered in the whole ground was dug 8 

 inches deep, having been previously grass between the trees. 

 The latter were, at the same time, cut in on two sides, so as to 

 spread out thinly like espaliers. 



In the following year, Mr. Manning, the proprietor of this 

 ground, states, " The result — whether of the draining only or of 

 the two other operations, and the good fruit season combined 

 with the draining- — has been most miraculous. I have had 

 some tolerable crops of Court of Wick (the year before last seven 

 bushels) ; I have now at least 10 bushels of much finer fruit 

 than I had ever before seen. In short, I never housed anything 

 like 50 bushels of fruit before ; now there are to be seen at least 

 75 bushels, while my summer disposed-of fruit was at least double 

 the usual quantity." 



The lopping-in of the trees and digging the ground, as 

 above described, were doubtless advantageous proceedings, but. 

 the draining of the ground was unquestionably the main cause of 

 the extraordinary change in the condition of the trees ; for stunted 

 specimens that previous to the draining were covered with moss, 

 had made no shoots for years, and were in such a state of decre- 

 pitude that there was nothing to cut away but dead wood, these 

 had produced vigorous shoots when I saw them in 1847, and have 

 continued to do so up to the present time. Such vigour cannot 

 be attributed to the cutting-in, for in these cases it was not prac- 

 tised ; nor to the digging of the ground, for although this was 

 done before draining was thought of, yet the trees went back- 

 wards, the decay of their branches increased under all circum- 

 stances till 1843, when recourse was had to draining, and since 

 then they have continued to do well, producing vigorous shoots — 

 shoots upwards of 3 feet in length ; and in the present season the 

 fruit was abundant, large, and highly coloured. 



XVI.— Protected Trellises for the Cultivation of Tender Fruit 

 Trees. By George Fleming, C.M.H.S., Gardener to the 

 Duke of Sutherland, F.H.S., at Trentham. 



(Communicated February 20, 1850.) 



It is now somewhat more than twelve months since Mr. H. B. 

 Ker published an account of his new method of growing the more 

 delicate kinds of hardy fruits on trellises, and protecting them 

 simply by means of a glass roof. The object he had in view was 

 to bring to perfection those choice but more tender varieties of 

 Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, &c., which seldom ripen their 

 fruit perfectly in our precarious climate ; and the means by 



