64 On Pruning and Training the Mulberry Tree, 

 ringing, as described by Dr. Noehden, in the second volume 

 of the Horticultural Transactions, page 262 ; by tight and 

 long continued ligatures, or by training the bearing branches 

 almost perpendicularly downwards. I have adopted the last 

 mentioned method ; because it greatly increases the disposi- 

 tion in the tree to bear fruit, without injuring its general 

 health, and because it occasions a proper degree of vigour to 

 be every where almost equally distributed. I believe, gravi- 

 tation to be the beneficial agent in this case, upon evidence, 

 which the reader may find in the Philosophical Transactions 

 of 1806; and I have, of course, adapted my mode of training 

 to my hypothesis. 



My garden, at Downton, contained six years ago, two 

 Mulberry trees, which had been trained, more than twenty- 

 five years, upon a south, or south-east wall, in the usual fan 

 form, and had each extended nearly thirty feet in width, and 

 thirteen in height, without having ever produced fruit of any 

 value, except small quantities, near the extremities of their 

 horizontal branches. At that period, I cut away all the larger 

 branches, except three on each side, leaving one on each side 

 to extend its whole length upwards, with an elevation of about 

 45 degrees, another with an elevation of 30, and another of 

 15 degrees. As much of the young and slender wood of 

 these large branches was preserved, as I found practicable ; 

 and the whole of this was trained nearly perpendicularly 

 downwards ; with the exception only of a small part, near 

 the tops of the most upright large branches, which was bent 

 inwards on each side, with a considerable inclination down- 

 wards, to occupy the central part of the space allotted to 

 each tree. In the first succeeding year, 1 had necessarily 



