By Mr. Thomas Rivers, Jim. 



175 



this will leave enough undisturbed earth round each tree to 

 sustain as much fruit as ought to grow, for the object is to obtain a 

 small, prolific tree. I assume that in the course of years a perfect 

 ball of fibrous roots will be formed, which will only require the 

 occasional operation of a trench being dug and this ball of earth 

 pared down to ascertain whether any large feeders are making 

 their escape from it. But it must b j borne in mind that this circular 

 mass of soil will in a few years be exhausted, to remedy which, I have 

 had left round each tree a slight depression in the soil, or in other 

 words, the trench has not been quite filled in, this circular furrow I 

 have filled with fresh night soil, and this has had a most excellent 

 effect ; any other liquid manure would undoubtedly be equally 

 efficacious, but my soil was poor and I thought it required strong 

 manure. As it did not come in contact with the roots no injury 

 resulted from using such a powerful raw manure ; there is perhaps 

 no absolute necessity for liquid manuring, as common dung may be 

 laid round each tree in the Autumn, and suffered to be washed in 

 by the rains of winter and drawn in by the worms. In mentioning 

 liquid manure I give the result of my own practice ; the great end 

 to attain seems, to use an agricultural phrase, to be able " to feed 

 at home," that is to give the mass of spongioles enough nutri- 

 ment in a small space, but not too much, so that a tree will make 

 shoots about four inches long in one season, (for such I conceive 

 ought to be the maximum of growth) and at the same time be able 

 to produce abundance of blossom buds and fruit* ; on trees of many 

 varieties of pears the former will be in too great abundance. I 

 think removing a portion in early spring would be an improvement 



* In describing the Autumn Bon Chretien I referred to the necessity of an occasional 

 cessation from root pruning. I may here repeat that while a tree makes but four inches 

 of annual growth or less, its roots may remain untouched, as it then is or ought to be 

 in a prolific state ; but if it shows too much vigour, by making shoots in one summer 

 six or eight inches in length, the following November its roots must be regularly 

 operated upon. 



