EEMARKS ON THE DWAEFING OF FRUIT-TREES. 
183 
One of the most essential points, as far as my experience of the Quince reaches, is to 
secure a permanency of moisture in the soil ; without this the trees may grow, but the 
fruit will be liable to become mealy and insipid. Indeed similar effects are known to 
follow with the Pear on the free stock. I have known them crack or rift almost in pieces, 
through the effect of drought, on sandy or weak soils. The Quince, moreover, can hardly 
be too highly cultivated ; and be the soil of a garden what it may, the ground can soon be 
rendered suitable, providing the platform mode of planting be adopted. As to providing a 
soil permanently moist, I suppose we must use a liberal amount of a tenacious loam in 
the soil, the other portion should be of very sandy old vegetable soil ; such as equal parts of 
very old cow-manure, leaf-mould, old spent tan, and boggy soil, adding some fine sand. By 
this mode of procedure, I have been enabled to grow the Pear on the Quince in the very 
highest degree of perfection at Oulton Park, whereas the ordinary soil is by no means suitable. 
Here again, in order to secure a regular moisture, mulching should be had recourse to ; 
the Quince moreover makes abundance of surface fibres, and these revel beneath a coating 
of rotting surface manure. 
The remarks here offered concerning the Quince apply in a considerable degree to the 
Paradise stock for apples. The Paradise, however, will thrive in any good sound loam, and 
this may be slightly manured for them, or at least some half-decayed vegetable matter may 
be blended with the soil. These, too, should be mulched annually, in order to carry out the 
objects before explained. 
With regard to plums, most of the stocks used by our nurserymen are of too gross a 
habit for a dwarfing system. 
What is called the " Brussels," we believe, is an exceedingly gross stock ; that termed 
the Muscle or Mussel stock is, we believe, more moderate in growth, and would answer better. 
In the question of stocks, however, much has to be learned, and many trials ought to 
be at once instituted by some public body, such as the Horticultural Society of London, in 
order to set the matter at rest for ever. About five years would suffice to throw all neces- 
sary light on the subject, and the trials should embrace everything likely^ — especially stocks 
of a hardy character, and which thrive in their own native ordinary soils. For instance, 
the black-thorn or sloe ; why may not this answer for the plum on a dwarfing system ? 
I would now advert to what I must term the great mistake of former days in regard of 
trained fruits. Everything was to be carried out by peculiar modes of training ; hence 
we had, for a series of years, a host of systems, so termed : in addition, too, great niceties 
in the pruning art were introduced, and shown forth in many a tempting diagram, tempting 
I mean to those who w^ere still merely scanning the surface of the affair. At last 
a more comprehensive view of the subject began to be taken, and pruning and training 
fell into a secondary position. 
Limitation of branch was now supposed to require a corresponding amount of limitation 
at the root, and from that period may be dated a sound reform in fruit-culture. The whole 
matter has now taken what I conceive to be a healthful tone, and I have little doubt that, 
during the next seven years, most of the gardens in the kingdom will present a new and 
much improved aspect. 
In all cases of dwarfing fruit-trees, it is of much importance to keep the various kinds 
classified, in the mind's eye. Thus, one section depend almost entirely on the old spur for 
their fructiferous habits ; another, almost entirely on that of the annual wood ; whilst not 
a few depend on a combination of both characters of wood. These things should not be lost 
sight of, as, whatever the root-culture may be, the natural habits of the kind in question 
should be carefully borne in mind. As a general maxim, it is well not to allow the mind 
to be too much biassed by any set plan (or system, to use a dignified title), but to combine 
such wherever an eligible opportunity presents itself, reserving the chance of returning to 
either whenever the age, condition, or circumstances of the kind render such a course 
eligible. Thus a Pear, in its earlier stages, may be brought to bear on natural spurs alone; 
after a few years, however, most of the spurs towards the centre of the tree will become 
barren, in spite of cleverly devised pruning systems, and then it will be found good policy 
to change, in part, the tactics, and to commence tying down those young shoots on which 
