334 On promoting the early Puberty of Fruit Trees. 



to vegetate in the following month of February, and in March 

 the pots were removed into my grapery, where they remained 

 till after midsummer. The plants were then carefully remov- 

 ed into a bed, and planted in rows, about fourteen inches 

 apart, where they remained till the autumn of 1811, when 

 they were again transplanted into a nursery, at distances of 

 six feet. Every succeeding winter I pruned away all small 

 trifling lateral shoots, leaving the stronger laterals at their 

 full length to the bottom of the plants, and made such a 

 general disposition of the branches, as that the leaves of the 

 upper shoots might not shade those situated underneath ; 

 every leaf, therefore, was thus rendered an efficient organ, 

 by its full exposure to the light ; as in similar experiments 

 upon the Peach tree, described by Mr. Knight in the 

 Horticultural Transactions* At the height of about six feet, 

 I had the satisfaction to observe that the branches ceased to 

 produce thorns, and the leaves began to assume a more 

 cultivated character. Several of these trees afforded blos- 

 soms and fruit last year. One seedling Siberian variety of 

 the Apple, thus treated, yielded fruit at four years old, and 

 many more at the age of five and six years. I consider 

 these facts of some importance, in furthering the object of 

 obtaining new varieties of fruit trees from seed, and confirm- 

 ing, were it necessary, the valuable discoveries of the Presi- 

 dent in that part of vegetable physiology, which points out 

 the curious and wonderful processes going on in the leaf. 



Two of my new Pears were raised from seed of the 

 Swan's Egg, impregnated with the pollen of the Gansell's 

 Bergamotte. In shape, the Pears bear a considerable 



* See Volume ii. page 71. 



