1874. ] 
THE SPRING TREATMENT OF WALL FRUll'-TREES. 
267 
took advantage only of two or three hours during the balmiest part of the day. 
“ Well,” I said, “how do the fruit-crops stand this long, late period of ungenial 
weather ? It has been pretty dry, that’s greatly in their favour.” “ Well, so it 
has,” he replied; “ and at present we have a good setting of wall-fruit; but the 
trees are terribly infested with aphis, curl, blister, &c.” It was very true 
indeed; I saw that they were so, and I observed that under the trees the ground 
was very web, and covered with curled and blistered leaves, and that the 
young shoots or branches on the trees were set full of fruit, from the size of 
a pea to that of a filbert, but getting very naked. “ Yes,” he said, “ we are obliged 
to keep the engine at work to drive off the aphis. What a severe frost we had 
this morning, the severest we have yet had I it has cut down some of our 
potatos, French beans, ^c., and some it has not at all touched.” “ Just so,” I 
remarked, “ it’s always the case; and this fact we have observed in 
many places as we have passed on in our ride to - day; indeed, all 
my lifetime I have observed the same effects. This only shows the difference 
of a drying harsh wind passing over dry dusty ground, and that which is 
sheltered from wind in a damper, lower-lying locality. If a hasty storm had 
passed over the whole after sunset last evening, and then the clouds clearing off, 
a severe morning’s frost equal in intensity to that of this morning had followed 
it, you could have expected no fruit or tender vegetables to be left alive.” “ Just 
so,” was the reply. We walked about and around the gardens till half-past 
4 p.m., and we heard the garden-engine working away the whole time against 
and over the wall-trees; and when we came to the last door to pass out, there was 
the engine with three men, two pumping and guiding the nozzle, and the 
other bringing water from an open garden-tank, cold as nature allowed it to 
be. The men did not spare the water as to quantity, or their main force in 
supplying it, for the border under them was covered with crumpled, curled, 
and distorted leaves, and the ground underneath was soddened’with moisture. 
I noticed that the foot-stalks of the leaves and young shoots were a good deal 
spotted with brown canker-spots. The air was then getting cold and keen, so we 
jumped into our fly, and returned home to tea in a warm room with a good fire, 
very much delighted with our little change. The weather continued cold and 
ungenial, with cutting east and north-east winds, and severe morning frosts for 
the next fortnight. 
On May 19, a nice sunny, but dry cold windy day, we again started at 3 p.m. 
for a little ride ; but though taking another direction, we came home by way of 
the same garden, as my companion had some business matters to attend to in the 
locality. I saw my old friend the gardener, who at once said, “ Look round, and 
go where you like.” It was very cold and searching, and I was glad to walk 
about well wrapped up to keep myself warm. Here, however, was the 
engine still at work by the three men, with water fetched from the open tank, and 
the poor trees were sadly crippled and cut up, with scarcely a perfect healthy 
leaf or young shoot ^remaining. The foliage that was left was badly curled 
and contorted, bulged and blistered, and so were the young shoots, as well as 
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