Practical  J lints  on  Fruit  Farini/u/. 
:W) 
inanageiiient  and  cultivation  of  new  ones.  There  are,  unfortu- 
nately, scattered  throughout  the  country  many  orchards  and 
j)lantations  which  are  not  only  an  eyesore,  but  a disgrace — 
mere  masses  of  wood  and  branches  more  fitted  for  a forest  tree 
than  a fruit  tree.  Nevertheless  these  trees,  however  unsifflitlv 
and  unprofitable,  may  in  many  instances,  with  due  attention 
and  patience,  be  brought  into  a fairly  uniform  and  remunerative 
condition.  It  is  a great  mistake  at  the  first  onset  to  use  the 
mattock  in  a wholesale  fashion,  or  indeed  on  individual 
trees,  until  a fair  trial  has  been  given ; after  that,  if 
the  result  is  unsatisfactory,  the  trees  may  be  grubbed  and  a 
beginning  made  elsewhere.  The  first  measure  carried  out  by 
the  possessor  of  such  a holding  should  be  to  cut  out  and  thin 
the  tree  of  all  crossing,  misshapen,  decaying,  and  decayed  wood; 
this  treatment  should  be  performed  gradually,  and  .should  be 
extended  over  a few  seasons.  The  operation  is  salutary  in 
promoting  the  formation  of  new  wood,  and  letting  in  air 
and  light,  thereby  encouraging  the  increased  production  of 
fruit  buds.  The  trees  should  be  scraped  with  scrapers  of 
blunt  flat  iron  in  the  autumn,  which  not  only  take  olf  the 
rough  epidermis  and  open  the  pores  of  the  wood,  but  also 
destroy  innumerable  insect  pests,  together  with  lichenous  and 
mossy  growths.  Lime  thrown  up  on  to  the  limbs  and  branches 
on  foggy  mornings  will  also  materially  conduce  to  the  demolition 
of  cryi)togams  and  insects. 
Another  difficulty  also  confronts  the  grower  in  the  impi’ove- 
ment  of  such  orchards.  Some  trees  must  be  removed  owing  to 
decay  or  other  reasons.  To  plant  a tree  where  another  has 
lived  for  years  and  drained  the  surrounding  soil  of  its  nutri- 
ment is  a critical  proceeding ; but  in  order  to  preserve  the 
symmetry  of  the  holding,  and  to  fill  uj)  an  otherwise  blank  and 
waste  space,  the  difficulty  must  be  faced.  The  holes  should  be 
dug  out  similarly  as  in  new'  orchards,  and  all  the  turf  chopped 
up  in  the  hole.  If  plums  are  planted  young  trees  of  the  robust 
and  free  growing  kinds  should  be  selected  ; such  as  Pond’s 
Seedling,  The  Czar,  Cox’s  Emperor,  and  Eivers’s  Monarch. 
If  apples  are  planted  the  sorts  having  the  same  character- 
istics should  be  chosen.  The  best  of  these  are  Gascoigne's 
Scarlet  Seedling,  Bramley’s  Seedling,  Peasgood’s  Nonsuch, 
Newton  Wonder,  Allington  Pippin,  and  Byford  Wonder. 
These  will  also  afford  excellent  grafts  for  old  trees,  together 
with  Stone’s  apple — an  admirable  variety  for  such  usage — and 
Worcester  Pearmain.  Plums  invariablv  succeed  better  than 
