JANUARY. 
7 
continent, and we see no reason why, with these precautions, large 
Orange-trees may not be cultivated in England. It is generally thought 
that growing them under glass forces the trees too much. We have 
not found such to be the case. The trees will bloom probably in March 
and April, and will commence growing directly afterwards, or about 
the time they are removed to the open air, as we attach considerable 
importance to the growth being made out of doors. When we find that 
the wood has become ripened, which it will be by the beginning of 
December, the house is kept no warmer than merely to exclude frost, 
and a large share of ventilation is given daily, keeping the air of the 
house at the same time as dry as is practicable. It is very desirable that 
the heads of the trees stand clear of each other, for each tree must be 
considered as a specimen, whose form and symmetry it is of the utmost 
importance to keep perfect, and this can only be done by taking care 
no injury befalls the leaves by overcrowding. When the summer 
shoots have made some progress, they should be gone over and all the 
strong ones pinched back, to encourage the weaker ones ; and at this 
time, which will generally be about the middle of July, a few of the 
shoots, where they are too thick, may probably require thinning out; in 
September the trees must be gone over again, and each shoot not pre¬ 
viously stopped have its point pinched out. This practice assists the 
Orange-tree in two ways ; it increases the size of the leaves left, and 
permits the wood to ripen much better than it otherwise would. In 
fact, we should treat them as Mr. Rivers does his Apricots and Cherries 
in pots, to keep the trees furnished equally all over with bloom-buds, 
and also within a limited space as to size. It is impossible here to 
enumerate all the advantages which would follow a more frequent system 
of thumb-and-finger pruning ; but, having paid considerable attention 
to gardening in France, I am convinced that they understand this prin¬ 
ciple better than we do, and that by carrying it out very completely, 
with the assistance of the climate, it gives them alone all the advantages 
they assuredly possess in some branches of cultivation over ourselves. 
But to return to the Orange : we must add something about compost, 
in which respect French gardeners are even more fastidious than our¬ 
selves. With their very old trees, which require a considerable amount 
of nourishment to keep them in health, old and completely decomposed 
nightsoil, loam, and lime rubbish are the principal ingredients in their 
composts ; to this is sometimes added peat. After the trees are fully 
grown, and it is not convenient to increase the size of their boxes, the 
soil round each side of the ball of roots is picked away with a sharp 
iron pin, and fresh compost is well worked in among the roots, to which 
it supplies food for half a dozen years. In this country, the greatest 
care should be taken in the preparation of a compost, for when once the 
trees (if they are at all large) have been newly tubbed, or put in fresh 
cases, disturbing them afterwards is attended with great risk to the 
tree, and therefore both the composition and mechanical properties 
of the soil should be carefully considered. The loam, which should be 
the top spit, and rather strong in texture than otherwise, should be 
quite mellow, and have been well exposed to the atmosphere ; to this 
should be added one quarter in bulk of old mortar and bone-dust, and 
