06 
THE FRUIT GARDEN. 
Dress standard fruit trees that are in- 
fested with lichen or moss on the stems, with 
dry wood-ashes, in moist weather : this will 
kill the moss, and benefit the trees. 
Grafts. — Early in the month select and cut 
proper shoots for grafting ; place the lower 
ends firmly in moist earth till grafting time. 
Grafting-clay should be prepared this 
month, by mixing soft, fine clay, with a pro- 
portion of dry horse-droppings and chopped 
hay : it should be worked up like stiff mortar, 
and laid up in a compact heap, and covered up 
from drying winds. 
Cuttings of all the kinds of fruits which 
are propagated in that way may be planted : 
these include such as Gooseberries, Currants, 
Figs, Grapes, Mulberries, &c. : the latter 
grow from large truncheons set in the ground. 
With many fruits, such as Gooseberries, it is 
an advantage to plant cuttings of the just- 
ripened wood during the summer ; these be- 
come rooted, and make established plants by 
winter, and thus much time is saved. 
Planting, — All kinds of fruit trees may be 
planted when necessary. In fact, where 
spring planting is rather preferred, or neces- 
sarily practised, open mild weather during 
February is just the time for performing it, 
and much preferable to any later period. As 
a general rule, plant the trees high — that is, 
with the roots about level with the ordinary 
surface ; and always spread the roots out quite 
straight, in lines diverging from the stem 
equally on all sides. 
Layers of any kinds of fruit trees may be 
made, when that mode of propagation is pre- 
ferred to cuttings and grafts. 
Peaches and Nectai-ines. — The pruning of 
these should now be got on with rapidly, but 
the trees should not be nailed to the walls ; 
this operation should be delayed as long as 
possible, in order to keep the buds from swel- 
ling too rapidly. 
Nailing generally should be brought to a 
close before this, if possible, except in the case 
of Peaches, &c., which are better, if delayed 
as long as possible : if any of the general 
nailing remains to be done, let it be finished 
speedily. Place the shreds alter- 
nately, and so as to bear in an opposite 
direction on the shoot, and use as few 
as will keep the shoot in the required 
position ; nothing looks worse than 
to see too many nails and shreds fixed 
about a tree. For the small shoots, 
the shreds should be about half an 
inch wide, and just long enough to 
admit of the nail being driven, so as 
to allow the shoot rather more than 
twice its diameter to swell in. For 
the larger shoots, which require very 
few nails and shreds, the width and 
I 
length must be increased in proportion. Never 
drive the nail close to the shoot in order to fix 
it straight, for by this means, the shoots get 
wounded ; neither is it necessary in order to 
keep the shoots straight, for a very slight 
degree of attention in placing the shreds alter- 
nately in opposite directions, will be quite suffi- 
cient to hold them perfectly firm and straight. 
If the ground is wet, get some boards to 
stand on, or what is better, use the wooden 
shoes or sabots of the continent. 
Vines on walls should be pruned and 
nailed without delay. It is a pity that the 
growth of Vines in sheltered situations out of 
doors, as in vineyards, should have been suf- 
fered to go out of practice. 
Figs. — Reduce the covering where they 
have been protected during winter ; but do 
not take it all away suddenly. Let the reduc- 
tion be made gradually, and then the plants 
will not suffer whom they are fully exposed. 
If the season is mild enough to permit their 
being quite uncovered, let them be pruned 
and nailed immediately. Bend the strongest 
shoots downards, to cause them to throw out 
short-jointed and fruitful shoots. 
Strawberries. — New plantations may be 
made towards the end of the month ; the 
plants in the old beds should have the dead 
leaves cut off, and the soil about them forked 
up between the rows, the manure applied in 
autumn being turned in. If the beds were 
not dressed in the autumn, it may be done now ; 
the application of soot during showery 
weather, in the month of April, is one of the 
most successful ways of manuring strawber- 
ries. 
Stochs for grafting, <£-c. — Sow the seeds 
of Apples and Pears for stocks. Crab stocks 
for Apples, and those of the Quince for Pears 
are usually preferred to what are termed free 
stocks, obtained by sowing the seeds of the 
cultivated kinds of Apples, Pears, &c. Small, 
portions of the root of the plum used as stocks, 
may be planted to serve as stocks for budding 
Peaches, Plums, &c. Seeds of the Cherry 
may also be sown to produce stocks proper for 
Cherries. 
Newly planted trees. — "Where there are 
any trees newly planted, let them be carefully 
staked, and the soil over the roots covered 
with litter, or long strawy dung as a mulching. 
Young trees, which have been planted a 
year or two, and are growing too luxuriantly, 
should have the roots carefully forked out, and 
some of the strongest shortened back ; or the 
trees may be taken up entirely, the roots cut, 
and then replanted. 
Fork up the ground among all plantations 
of fruit as soon as pruning is completed, and 
there is no further necessity for trampling on 
the soil. 
