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5 
THE FLORIST. 
that our orchards were not properly attended to as to pruning, &c., and 
that when there was a very heavy crop of fruit one year there would 
be, as a natural consequence, a very light one the following season. To 
remedy this state of things, I insisted on the necessity of paying the 
greatest attention to the propagation, rearing, management, &c., in all 
stages, of the fruit trees. I particularly insisted on never, in any one 
season, allowing the trees to carry too heavy crops, but on the contrary 
rather to err in only having moderate ones. I said that when all these 
things were properly attended to, and hardy varieties of fruit trees suit¬ 
able to the localities were selected, the result would be that in nine 
seasons out of ten there would be average crops of fruit. The last three 
years have, in a great measure, shown these views to be correct ones. 
In consequence of the rest the trees had (owing to the failure of the 
crops) in 1854, there was a most abundant crop of fruit in 1855, 
particularly Apples, Pears, and Plums. 
But there are some persons who attribute the good crop of 1855 to 
the lateness of the season, and they say that the weather being dry 
whilst the blossoms were expanded the frost did no injury. I question 
if there be many gardeners who can recollect a colder time for the 
month of May than it was in 1855, from the 1st to the 22nd of that 
month. Well, most people were so pleased with their crops in 1855 
that they could not for the world think of thinning them, and in 
consequence we had very light crops in 1856. But, mark ! it was not 
the late spring frosts that destroyed the crops. No, we had very little 
frost, so of course it must be something else that destroyed the crops ; 
and we are told it was the wet weather that did the mischief To me 
it appeared absurd to expect anything like an average crop in 1856 
after the, in general, very heavy crops of 1855. Oh! but a great 
authority in these matters tells us that a friend of his (an amateur, I 
presume), had thinned some of the fruit on some of his trees in 1855, 
and that he did not secure a crop in 1856 by this means. Now, if 
these trees had never before had any attention paid to thinning, &c., 
until 1855, I am not surprised to hear that they did not bear crops in 
1856. As well might we expect that a person born and reared in 
ignorance and vice, if sent for twelve months to Pentonville after 
attaining manhood, should come out a virtuous and good character. Fruit 
trees are like men ; if we wish them to bear good fruit in due season we 
must attend carefully to them from the beginning, by a proper selection 
of grafts, stocks, &c.; by proper disbudding, thinning of shoots, spurs, 
fruit, &c.,—in fact, by proper management in every respect; when all 
this is properly done we will not fail to get good fruit for our labour. 
The autumn of 1856 was, in this part of the country, very unfavour¬ 
able to the ripening of the wood ; still, notwithstanding this drawback, 
I am sanguine enough to expect good crops of fimit the coming season, 
in consequence of the very general failure last year. As I am now 
writing about the fi’uit crops, I will mention a few facts, which will 
speak for themselves. 
Notwithstanding the good crops of other fruit in 1855, Apricots were 
in general that year a very deficient orop in the West Riding of York¬ 
shire. Good samples were worth four shillings a score in any of the 
