208 
REMOVING FRUIT TREES. 
remarkable, many of the pear-trees bore good crops of fruit the sanK 
year they were transplanted. I left Erskine in the winter following, 
and had not again an opportunity of seeing the trees until four years 
after: in 1831, I visited Scotland, and called at Erskine-House, and 
I must say, that I was quite struck with the progress the trees had 
made, not only in increase of size, but appearance and fruitfulness ; 
there were some large pear trees trained horizontally, covering thirty 
feet by twelve of wall, that before transplanting, used only to pro¬ 
duce a few blossom-buds at or near the extremities of the shoots, now 
thickly covered with blossom-buds from the stems of the trees to the 
extremities of the branches, (it being about the 1st of March when 
I saw them;) the cherries also looked remarkable well, they were 
thickly covered with short spine bearing fruit buds, making little or 
no breastwood, the peaches and nectarines had improved beyond con¬ 
ception. In planting them, in case of a failure with the old trees, 
young ones were planted alternately with them; but after letting 
these grow for two years, they were taken out, the old ones being 
found far superior; I can safely say, they were the finest trees I ever 
saw, and they were far from being good trees when they were trans¬ 
planted. I think the above is sufficient to prove, that barren fruit 
trees may be brought into a good bearing state without a great deal 
of trouble or expense, an old border may be partially renewed. I 
have seen several gardeners cut wall trees down, and graft them with 
other sons, not because they were bad sorts, but for being bad bear¬ 
ers, I have seen others cut the roots partially; but in my opinion, if 
a tree is unfruitful, although healthy, to depend upon bringing it to 
a state of productiveness, it must be taken up and replanted, observ¬ 
ing to cut the roots a year previous to taking it up. 
John Stewart. 
Hoof on, March 20 th, 1833. 
