WASTE LANDS, AND THEIR RECOVERY. 
207 
appearance. If, as in many orchards is the case, 
the roots have got into something they do not 
like, and the usual symptoms of ill-health 
appear, something besides grafting with a new 
sort is necessary ; and the remedy must be 
applied at the right place. For instance, on 
a hot gravelly soil, we happened to see an 
operation performed very successfully, and the 
orchard reap the advantage of it in a reno- 
vated growth. First, the roots were laid 
bare, and the large ones were dug between as 
well as they could be ; at a distance of three or 
four yards, where the roots dipped down into 
the gravel, the ends were cut off ; the top of 
the surface was thrown into the bottom with 
some fresh loam, a load to each tree, and a 
load of the lower stuff removed from the place, 
when this was all filled in without disturbing 
the tree. It underwent so vigorous a pruning, 
that not more than one-third was left, and 
that only the most healthy wood. In other 
cases, where the sort itself was bad, they were 
cut back within a foot or so of the place where 
the branches start from the trunk, and new 
sorts were grafted. The reduction of the 
head was, in both cases, equivalent to the loss 
at the roots ; and even those which were not 
grafted made excellent young vigorous shoots, 
which, in time, bore sound, clean fruit. Now, 
in these cases, the merely cutting back and 
grafting would have been useless ; the dimi- 
nished demand on the trunk and roots would 
have enabled the graft to shoot strong ; but 
no sooner would it come into good bearing, 
than it would partake of the disorder of the 
trunk, and, like the previous head, be useless. 
In the other case, it would take years for the 
roots to get into the gravel again ; because 
the upper soil would be so much more in- 
viting : and there would be every chance of 
I'eaping the advantage, that would compensate 
for all the labour bestowed en the operation. 
But, with regard to the grafting of old trees, 
because the heads were cankered, the opera- 
tion has been carried to a wonderful extent ; 
and, in many cases, the grafts have grown 
vigorously for three years, and then been 
diseased like the branches which they have 
superseded. Hence, it might be taken for a 
general rule, that, if a tree is unhealthy, the 
mischief is at the bottom. That as the roots 
are in soil that does not agree with them, 
there is but one remedy for the mischief, 
which is changing all the soil you can, and 
cutting off communication with the other. 
This will prepare the tree for one of two 
things : either to make new branches of the 
old sort, or receive grafts for a new head, or, 
which is often done by those who wish to 
change sorts, receive grafts on a portion of its 
branches, and bear fruit on the other, which 
may be cut away as the grafted portion grows. 
If, however, a young and healthy tree has a 
fruit you do not want, graft by all means a 
sort you do, for it will save time. We ought 
to have mentioned, and it is not too late, that, 
in forking down to the roots, to lay them 
bare, the greatest care should be taken to 
avoid breaking off the fibres, or bruising any 
portion of the root ; and that every tree ought 
to be examined, to see there is no tap root 
under the trunk ; for if there be, it must be 
cut off, or the case abandoned as hopeless. 
In several cases in the orchard we have men- 
tioned, there were tap roots discovered ; and 
those were, in all cases, the most unhealthy. 
In most of those instances the tap was severed ; 
in one or two, it was so situated that it could 
not be got at, and therefore the tree was 
thrown, and another planted. When you 
have sufficient grafts, it is well to leave, on 
the upright trunk, about a fuot of each of the 
forked branches, and, by putting grafts to all 
of them, the tree will be formed much sooner, 
as there will be large growth made on different 
sides of the tree, and, where there happens to 
be several limbs, a tree is literally made in a 
season. 
WASTE LANDS, AND THEIR RECOVERY. 
The draining of swamps has been the 
means of recovering many thousands of acres, 
which were, for centuries, indeed as long back 
as any record could be obtained, perfectly 
useless : and it is almost the first cry of a 
superficial observer, when ground lies under 
water, " Drain it." All this is very easily 
said ; and if you ask the parties so ready with 
their advice, how the water is to be got rid of, 
seeing that all the ditches, and even rivers, in 
the neighbourhood, are as high as the ground 
to be drained, they would be rather puzzled to 
carry their advice further. But even this 
must not discourage us, when we observe 
what has been done in some cases. It is 
possible that a large part of land lying always 
under water, and that water considerably 
below the bed of the river that runs through 
it, may be so effectually drained as to be worth 
cultivating and paying a smart rent for. Let 
us presume that ten thousand acres of ground, 
not worth a shilling an acre — not worth any- 
thing, in fact, because always under water — 
be nevertheless in a good situation for farm- 
ing, if it could be drained. It is clear that, if 
any means could be contrived to make it work- 
able, it would yield a rent, which we will 
suppose to be only ten shillings an acre. Any 
means that would cost annually five shillings 
an acre would leave a profit of five shillings 
an acre. Make preparation, therefore, for 
working a steam-engine at the lowest part, to 
force up the water to the bed of tho river, and 
