THE COTTAGE GARDENER 
[January 23. 
252 
thorough reform in hardy fruit culture has not been 
I effected, or if it has, why are not the benefits sensibly 
felt even in our markets ? 
These are grave matters for inquiry; and, craving the 
patience of the readers of this work, we will just 
glance at the main features of the question. We must 
in so doing see what is the substance of the advice on 
hardy fruits given in the pages of The Cottage Gar¬ 
dener since its commencement. Such, on a careful 
examination, will be found to be as follows :— 
First.— Avoidance of stagnation in all fruit soils. 
Second. —A due attention to the mechanical condition 
of soils, irrespective of the question of manures. 
Third. —Manures applied with more caution, and 
mostly as top-dressings adapted to cases of real need. 
Fourth. —A recommendation of the “ platform ” mode 
of planting, by which, in conjunction with a proper 
adaptation of stocks, a much earlier profit is obtained; 
by which, moreover, less labour is entailed in the j 
operation, a greater collection of fruits may be indulged 
in, and, lastly, superior qualities obtained. 
Fifth. —Protection of blossoms based on a retarding 
principle; this is not yet half appreciated, even by first- 
rate practical men. 
Sixth. —A due attention to the summer growths, as 
superseding much useless labour in the end, as well as 
many over-elaborate formalities connected with mere 
modes of training, which have but too well succeeded 
in decoying the attention of inexperienced persons from 
the real basis of this question. 
Now, with the rising year, we would fain so recapitu¬ 
late some of those leading principles, as to attract a 
renewed share of attention, from at least the inex¬ 
perienced ; and in order that the stigma of inferiority 
may be speedily removed from British gardeners, who 
we had verily fancied in our yearnings after British 
supremacy, were the very fuglemen of three-parts of the 
gardening world. 
Avoidance of Stagnation. —Are there readers of this 
work who still entertain hopes that their damp and 
stagnant soil will do pretty well without draining? Let 
them at once dispel the idea. A poor man who has not 
money to purchase a few tiles, or to obtain tho drawing 
of them, may have some excuse; not so the majority of 
our readers. We have seen many scores of little 
orchards in our day, composed of as good soil as ever 
“ a crow flew over,” yet consisting of stunted and moss- 
bound trees, totally unprofitable to their owner, who 
would frequently stand with folded arms wondering 
how it was, since he had manured them so well, and ob¬ 
tained such good sorts. 
A due attention to Mechanical Condition. —If any one 
does not thoroughly understand the application of this 
term, which merely relates to what used to be called the 
stajde of the soil, we beg of him to observe that it is not 
the mere colour of the soil, nor the amount of manurial 
matters it may contain, that alone adapt it to the well¬ 
being of any given crop. The texture of the material 
should be of such a character, that moisture when im¬ 
parted should speedily and equally become diffused 
through the whole mass; not passing through it in 
seams or rifts, or remaining suspended too long. Now, 
to accomplish this, it is necessary that a due amount of 
sand (or something to represent it) be mixed with clayey 
or over adhesive soils, and vice versa. Those of a peaty 
character, too, need the application of both sand and 
clay, or marl. There is no rule founded on principle as 
to proportions; it is a mere rule of thumb affair: every 
man must judge for himself. We may here observe, 
that the test used at the potting-beneh by gardeners { 
holds good here. Take a handful of the soil when 
neither wet nor dry, squeeze it close in both hands, then 
let it drop from a yard in height to the ground. If it 
instantly divide into powdery material, it wants more of 
the adhesive principle ; if it does not divide, it requires 
sand, and so forth of all the intermediate grades. 
Application of Manures. —We may here observe, that 
the mixing of too much of manurial matters in the soils 
about newly planted fruit-trees, under the dignified title 
of composts, has been the cause of more mischief than 
even the other evils, especially to small gardeners who j 
want a quick return, together with many kinds in a \ 
small compass. It is one thing to apply rich top- 
dressings to trees in full bearing, and altogether another 
to mix a lot of stimulating manures in the soil, which 
cannot, if a case arise, be easily extracted again. If 
people would well master the subject of mechanical tex¬ 
ture, and exercise a severe economy in the mode of using 
maiden soils or loams (through the use of platforms on 
given stations), they would be enabled to reserve ma¬ 
mmal matters for other and more legitimate purposes, 
the latter amply repaying even the purchase of loam, if 
necessary. 
'The Platform System. —This consists, as before ex¬ 
plained, in preparing soil at given stations for the re¬ 
ception of fruit-trees. As a matter of economy, and 
greater certainty, it thus stands opposed to the old plan 
of border making, which is a fearfully expensive pro¬ 
ceeding, and has frequently proved as unsuccessful as 
expensive. By the platform mode, there is no occasion, 
on even inferior soils, to prepare and improve more than 
six feet square. Our practice is to use stone, brick, or 
other imperishable material at the bottom, but by no 
means concrete, or anything impervious. With any 
ordinary garden soil of decent character to begin with, 
six barrows of sound loam is sufficient for any fruit-tree 
the amateur may desire to plant. Indeed, four will 
suffice for most. This mode of planting is so very im¬ 
portant, in our estimation, as proved by long practice, 
that we shall feel bound to recur to its details. 
Retarding Blossoms, as we have before observed, is 
not yet half appreciated. We take some credit as to this 
practice, as being the first to bring its importance promi¬ 
nently before the public; but the merit, if it possesses any, 
will no doubt be claimed by some future practitioners as 
soon as they perceive the importance of the principle. 
Thus it has happened in the matter of sea-kale forcing, 
on a simple and more economical principle, by taking 
up the roots; the latter grown in a special way for the 
very purpose. Although not the very first to practise it, 
we were, doubtless, the first to draw public attention to 
the question, having advocated the practice strongly for 
some twelve year’s at least. Now we perceive most of 
our best gardeners fall in with the practice. The readers 
of this work will find information about the retarding of 
blossoms in back numbers. 
Attention to the Summer Growth. —Without this it is 
impossible to attain that pitch of success of which 
trained trees are susceptible. Much has been said on 
this head in previous papers, and much remains to be 
said; but we hold it the best policy, in a general way, to I 
shape our weekly papers as much as possible to the 
period at which they are written. 
Once more, then, we beg our readers to believe that 
only a very small portion of the success of which our 
hardy fruits are capable, has yet been achieved. Let 
not any one bo daunted because he has hitherto been 
foiled; let him rather endeavour to acquire an intimate 
knowledge of those first principles on which alone success 
can he based. 
Modes of training, and such matters, must ever be held 
a subordinate affair; nevertheless, it is quite possible, 
nay, easy, to combine the utmost symmetry as to train¬ 
ing matters with thoose conditions which insure healthy, | 
permanent, and fruitful trees. 
Above all, let every tone be exceedingly cautious in j 
choosing kinds. Let the maxim of our best plant- 
growers of the present day be that of the fruit grower— . 
