CHAPTER XXVI If. 
THE FRUIT GARDEN. 
Gard. Go, bind thou up yon’ dangling apricocks, 
Which, like unruly children, make their sire 
Stoop with oppression of their prodigal weight : 
Give some supportance to the bending twigs. — 
Go thou, and, like an executioner. 
Cut off the heads of too-fast growing sprays. 
That look too lofty in our commonwealth ; 
All must be even in our government. — 
You thus employ’d, I will go root away 
The noisome weeds, that without profit suck 
The soil’s fertility from wholesome flowers. 
Richard III. 3. 
S SMALL chapter on a large subject must omit many 
things that might, or should, be said. To draw a hard 
and fast line between the vegetable garden and the 
fruit garden is impossible, and fruit culture must have a 
little of our attention. To obtain under certain rather common- 
place circumstances, a sufficient supply of useful fruits to 
meet the ordinary wants of an average household, is not a 
difficult matter where the conditions are fairly favourable. 
‘The demands of the kitchen are continuous, and the selection 
of fruits for a kitchen garden should be governed by the con- 
sideration that a moderate supply of useful fruits in all 
seasons is much more to be desired than a glut of a few kinds 
in the later days of summer, to be followed by a blank for the 
rest of the year. The prudent planter will be cautious there- 
fore in respect of planting varieties of apples and pears that 
ripen early and soon pass away, because at the time when the 
Joanneting apple and the Doyennd dVtd pear (to name these 
as examples merely) are in perfection we have also bush fruits 
and stone fruits in plenty. So again, a very large proportion 
of the most delicious dessert pears ripen in October, and un- 
less special care be taken, the fruit garden is likely to be too 
largely occupied with this class, while the later ripening- 
sorts, such as Easter Beurre and March Bergamot may be 
neglected. In the plan of a kitchen garden at page 15, 
provision is made for a considerable supply of fruit in con- 
s 2 
