118 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . r Feiroary 9,1882. 
of two or three rivers, which for ages, perhaps, have flowed on 
through distant tracts of fertile trap soil, and have borne in their 
water, more especially when in flood, very fine particles of mud 
from the upland lands. This mud has settled quietly in the 
estuary into which the rivers debouch until the mud banks so 
made have been reclaimed and cultivated. Even now much or 
most of the twenty or thirty square miles to which we allude is 
considerably below high-water level, and outside the defending 
walls are some more miles which are now considerably higher 
than what is reclaimed, and only waiting reclamation in order to 
add very considerably to the wealth of the country. A wealthy 
local gentleman, we are told, once tried to get an Act of Parlia¬ 
ment to enable him to reclaim it, but as it lies adjacent to another 
landowner he failed. It is a pity that sentiment should stand in 
the way of improvements of this kind. The would-be improver 
owns the other tract of heavy land to which we referred, and at a 
great expense has rendered it productive and, for the time being, 
very fertile. All around him the farms are anything but fertile. 
Indeed, in these times of agricultural depression few of the 
farmers who cultivate it consider it worth cultivating, and much 
of it is being laid down, or rather allowed to go to waste. In the 
case of this land the subsoil is clay shale. The former heavy 
land owes its heaviness in great measure to the fineness of its 
particles, and not so much to the presence of clay (real clay) 
although a good per-centage of it is composed of decayed felspar. 
The latter is by no means so fine ; indeed it is “ gritty,” but 
being composed of shale it is wet, cold, impervious, and poor. 
Who in choosing heavy soil would take the latter if they could get 
the former ? And yet we have known it to be done sometimes. 
It does not follow from what we have said that the soils de¬ 
posited from the same river or in the same district are equally 
good. Anyone who cares to explore the side of a river which 
flows through a hilly district will find that the higher they ascend 
the poorer will the soils deposited by the stream become. It is 
only the fine particles which float far: the sand is only carried far 
in flood time : the gravel, from which the waters have separated 
the soil, will be found higher up : and the quartzy material, by 
its ability to stand tear and wear, will be found not far from 
home. It is only on a small scale that we can trace the soils 
deposited from water, and yet very large tracts of our best land 
have been carried by its agency. When it has been done recently 
it may be seen, but only the eyes of the expert geologist can 
detect the tracts deposited in past geological ages. We scarcely 
expect that a majority of your readers have the knowledge suffi¬ 
cient to enable them to distinguish between the new and the old red 
sandstone, between the London and the boulder clays, the Oxford, 
the Weald, or the Kimmeridge ; and supposing they could, they 
would find it of more practical utility to study the botany of soils. 
Better than all, the crops which the land produces under ordinary 
cultivati n will act as a good guide to the selection of soils when 
a choice is afforded. 
The land which will not bear good Wheat will not, without very 
considerable aid, produce good Grapes, Peaches, or Melons. The 
difference between land that will bear good crops of Potatoes and 
crops of good Potatoes is often very considerable. Soils which 
will produce large crops of good Potatoes will almost always be 
found capable of producing fine crops of fruit. But if the crop 
only is large, and the quality generally inferior, such as gravelly 
lands often produce, it is not likely that fine crops will be pro¬ 
duced unless care is taken to supply every needed want arti¬ 
ficially ; and how to do this we think is of greater importance 
than the ability to distinguish different geological formations. 
To the farmer the latter is of undoubted value, and in a lesser 
degree to the gardener ; but to know whether a plant demands 
potash or soda, phosphorus or sulphur, and how best to afford 
them, is, we think, of far greater benefit to the gardener. Indeed, 
we are not sure whether we should not write that it should be 
considered indispensable. Probably it will be so considered in 
one generation more.— Single-handed. 
Lombardy Poplars Killed by Frost. —The winter of 1880-81 
has been very destructive to the Lombardy Poplars in the counties 
of Norfolk and Suffolk ; probably more than half the trees are dead, 
and of the remainder many, although showing feeble signs of vitality, 
will evidently not long survive. Some curious phenomena present 
themselves with regard to the trees which have partially survived, 
and the apparent capriciousness with which many of them have been 
spared. For instance, some trees in very exposed situations are com¬ 
paratively uninjured, whilst others, sheltered from the wind, are 
quite dead ; one particular tree in a row may be still living, but all 
the others have perished ; or again, in many of the trees which still 
show signs of vitality, it is on the south side only that they have pro¬ 
duced leaves. The latter circumstance would seem to indicate that 
the north wind was the cause of the mischief; but the number of trees 
which have perished in sheltered situations shows certainly that this 
was not the only cause .—(Land and Water.) 
tt&s *' 
WOP v K/oi\theWEEK. 
HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 
Complete pruning, dressing, and nailing Apricot, Peach, and 
Nectarine trees, preparing protection to be applied when the flower 
buds begin expanding. Glass is the most effectual protection, glass 
copings being very useful, especially with scrim canvas in front of 
the trees. Whatever material is employed should always be so 
adjusted a3 to be readily withdrawn when frost is not expected, or 
when not required to shade the trees from bright sunshine, which 
it is sometimes desirable to do if cold nights are followed by bright 
days. Rough straw or hay bands secured to poles fixed immediately 
under the coping and into the ground 18 to 24 inches from the base 
of the wall, the bands being at a distance of 9 to 12 inches from each 
other, keep the blossom dry, and at the same time admit plenty 
of air. Considerable protection is also afforded by Spruce branches 
or the spray of Beech with the leaves adhering, disposing them 
thinly so that the blossoms will not be too much shaded. A double 
thickness of old herring nets fixed a few inches in front of the trees 
is also an excellent mode of protection, allowing sufficient light for 
the trees without constantly removing the covering, as must be the 
case when heavier material is used. 
Wher® the pruning of bush, pyramid, and espalier fruit trees has 
been deferred, it must now be completed as soon as possible, for the 
buds of the earlier kinds are swelling fast. The loose soil over the 
roots must be scraped off and a mulching given of three parts fresh 
loam and one of well-decayed manure ; about 25 per cent, of charred 
refuse may be added witfi advantage. Pruning Gooseberries and 
Currants should likewise be completed, dressing the soil with manure, 
and pointing over the spaces between them without further delay. 
Thin the canes of Raspberries to about four of the strongest to each 
stool, securing them to the stakes or trellis. 
Planting fruit trees should now be finished speedily. In making 
plantations of bush fruit it is better to keep them together, so that 
if necessary they can be covered with nets, which is not readily 
effected when they are planted round the borders. Yines upon walls 
out of doors should be pruned if necessary, cutting back the shoots 
to firm wood with plump buds, removing enfeebled rods, and training 
in well-ripened canes cut back to prominent buds. Avoid over¬ 
crowding, and before tying-in dress the Yines with an insecticide 
thickened with flowers of sulphur. Where mildew is troublesome 
mix quicklime and sulphur with tobacco water, and apply it with a 
brush. Mulch over the roots with rich material after removing the 
loose surface soil. 
Beds and plantations of Strawberries which were mulched in 
autumn or early winter with half-decayed manure, may now have 
the same lightly pointed in after all weeds and decayed leaves have 
been removed. If no manure were applied a dressing of guano or 
some artificial manure may be given : we have found Amies’ chemical 
and Clay’s fertiliser very useful, pointed in lightly. A dressing at 
the rate of 4 cwt. per acre affords goodjreturns. 
FRUIT HOUSES. 
Vines .—It is difficult and injurious to keep Grapes hanging on 
the Vines much after this, as the ^warmth necessary to keep the 
Grapes in good condition excites the Yines, causing the sap to rise, 
and the Grapes are liable to damp or crack,'^besides causing the 
pruning to be deferred until a season when it cannot be performed 
without danger of enfeebling the Yines. Grapes that have been 
well ripened will keep quite as well cut with a piece of wood attached 
and inserted in bottles of water in a moderately dry room with a 
temperature of about 45°. All late Yines shouldjbe pruned at once, 
dressing the cuts with a styptic or patent knotting, keeping the 
house as cool as possible so as to give the Vines some rest. Yines 
