Mar.] 



THE FRUIT GARDEN. 



3G7 



tion of stem which was laid bare was about six inches wide, 

 and it has not again been covered with bark. That part just 

 above the ring is considerably larger than the part below it. 

 The ends of the branches appear in much decay, and there 

 are but few young shoots thrown out from the sides ; whilst 

 on the other part of the tree, the shoots as usual proceed from 

 the extremities, as well as from the sides of the main branches. 

 I apprehend," he adds, " from the present appearance of the 

 whole, that the portion of the tree, which by the separation of 

 the bark, has been deprived, in a great measure, of supply from 

 the root, cannot survive many years." 



A more rational mode was adopted in the gardens of Lord 

 ^Mansfield, in Perthshire, by cutting the roots of the trees 

 nearly to their stem ; and this operation was performed in the 

 beginning of July, and with every success. It is necessary to 

 state, that this operation was performed not only on a single 

 tree or two, but on a wall four hundred feet long. In most 

 cases, when barrenness proceeds from the roots absorbing a 

 greater portion of nutriment than is really necessary, which 

 will often be the case, when the borders are either naturally, 

 or have been made too deep, this shortening of the roots will 

 be of much service. But when barrenness proceeds fi'om an 

 insufficiency of nutriment, which is also often the case, and 

 which is easily seen by the trees getting into a stinted state, 

 making little or no wood, and the little that is made small and 

 sickly, then taking up and replanting again, as advised above, 

 is the only cure, and this system, while it induces fertility, 

 produces first the principal cause of that fertility, by renewing 

 the health of the tree and supplying it with proper food. 



PRUNING FRUIT-TREES. 



It is not yet too late to prune the trees, but the sooner it is 

 now done the better, especially as the plums, cherries, apri- 

 cots, figs, and the early kind of pears, are now coming into 

 flower. If the orchard-trees, and the various kinds of stand- 

 ards, were not pruned in the preceding months, it may now 

 be done. When, however, the branches of any kind of fruit- 

 trees are to be anointed, it would not be proper to delay the 



