By Mr. Gregor Drummond. 



55 



Those who are advocates for the shallow planting of fruit trees 

 may suppose the border, recommended above, to be too rich, and 

 that it will promote too great luxuriance of growth ; but, provided 

 the materials employed favour the production of fibrous rootlets, 

 we can hardly ever make the border too rich. Encouraging such 

 rootlets seems to produce that fertile habit in the tree at an early 

 stage of its growth, which checks any tendency to over luxuriance 

 afterwards ; and to turn the powers of the tree to the formation of 

 flower-buds, and consequent production of fruit. Wall-trees are 

 exposed to a higher temperature and greater evaporation than 

 standards, and require, therefore, a larger body of soil and a more 

 copious supply of moisture for their roots than standards do. 



Having thus stated his views concerning the proper formation of 

 borders, Mr. Drummond proceeds to notice some other circum- 

 stances to be attended to in their subsequent management : and 

 this portion of his Memoir is also illustrated by experiment. 



When the borders have been properly prepared, success in the 

 cultivation of wall-fruit trees depends more, says our author, on a 

 judicious supply of moisture to their roots, than on any other part 

 of the practice. The necessity of moisture to the due preparation 

 of the food of plants, and to its entrance into the vegetable system, 

 is well known ; but if the soil get beyond a certain state of dryness, 

 these necessary operations cannot proceed, and little or no nutri- 

 ment can be afforded, at the very time, perhaps, when it is required 

 most to assist in the production of fine fruit. The roots also, 

 unable to find nutriment in a good soil, may penetrate into a bad 

 one, and from thence derive matter not only not nutritive, but per- 

 haps pernicious to the vegetating process. 



In supplying water, Mr. D. recommends that it be taken from a 

 pond in which it has been freely exposed to the sun. If the pond 



