May 20. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
1J 1 
Surrey Amateur (George Canning, Grove Lane, Camber¬ 
well), Sept. 15, Dahlia. 
Trowbridge (Grand Exhibition), Aug. 25. 
Turriff, June 11, Aug. 0, Sept. 17. 
Whitehaven, July 0, Pinks ; Sept. 17, Dahlias. 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
Agricultural Society (Royal), Lewes, July 12. 
Cheltenham Monster Show, June 3. ( Secretaries , 
Messrs. Jessop, Cheltenham.) 
f For seedlings only. 
ROOT-CULTURE OF FRUIT TREES. 
It lias been observed already, that top-dressing and 
mulching are two dissimilar jiroceedings, both as to their 
aim, and the means of carrying them out. As to the 
! object in view, it is lamentable to think that even some 
good practical gardeners do not yet appreciate the ex¬ 
ceeding great benefit of these processes. 
To be sure, all such extra appliances, for such they 
! must be considered, involve an extra amount of labour, 
i not, perhaps, contemplated in the original apportion- 
\ ment of that precious material in a garden. Gardeners, 
i good ones, in the main, may, therefore, be absolved in 
such respects; for an idle gardener, one who knows his 
profession, is almost as singular a phenomenon as a 
dead donkey. Many such remarks then, as to the extra 
appliances, may be considered as addressed as much to 
the owners of gardens as to the gardener. Those who 
stint the amount of labour to a gardener who otherwise 
possesses their confidence, are about as wise as that 
government which, possessing an able general in conduct 
of a most important enterprise, keep him several degrees 
| “ below proof” in regrad of the forces at his disposal. 
These practices were recommended in broad terms 
some weeks since, but, feeling their immense import¬ 
ance, we beg to return to them in detail before it be too 
late. Mulching, everybody knows something about; 
top dressing, as applied to fruit trees, is not quite so 
patent an invention. 
Mulching is either intended to protect the roots of 
trees from droughts or cold, or to impart manurial 
, benefits. The latter case may, however, be in general 
best met by the application of liquid manure. Top-dress- 
i ing, according to the strict sense in which it ought to 
be held, signifies the forming a pasture for surface- 
roots ; a premium held out for the creation and en- 
I couragement of an increased volume of fibres, whereby 
' the cultivator, repudiating all tap-roots, which generally 
encourage gross and immature shoots to the prejudice 
’ of the fruit bearing ones, secures plenty of well-ripened 
wood; the • sure and only condition for abundance of 
| perfect blossom-buds. 
For mulching jilFrposes, dung, or dung and vegetable 
matters, will in general suffice. Top-dressings, when 
carried out systematically, and, it may be added, scien¬ 
tifically, are of more service still, as not only performing 
all the uses of mulching, but as forming a surface-soil 
just adapted to the rising necessities of the tree. They 
should, therefore, be so compounded as not only to 
facilitate the extension of roots horizontally, but also to 
multiply, and actually call into being, abundance of sur¬ 
face fibres. Those who have used them this spring 
will experience their beneficial effects in a high degree 
as a preservative against droughts ; for, doubtless, two 
mouths or more of continuous dry weather has proved 
a severe test to many a weakly or newly-planted tree, 
whether in a course of training, or as ordinary standards. 
Top-dressings arc of especial service to all trees near 
or past middle age, and which have become somewhat 
lean through hard bearing or poor soil. Also, to all 
trees planted on soils of a weak or loose texture, 
and which, consequently, are liable to suffer through 
drought. 13 ut in all cases, as far as regards age, the 
process should be performed before the trees are too old 
or too much exhausted. It ought to be more generally 
known, and more closely considered, that all trees lose 
their power to reproduce new fibres progressively with 
advancing age, dating, in general, in fruit trees, from the 
commencement of free-bearing. This is, therefore, not 
an absolute but a conditional period, not dependent on 
any point of age alone; nevertheless, we. think that every 
kind of fruit, when placed under congenial circumstances, 
has a progressive rise and fall, and that there is a period 
in the history of each, or a sort of climacteric, somewhat 
analogous to what is termed the “ breaking up ” of the 
constitution in the human species. After the latter con¬ 
dition has fairly set in it is of less use to apply top-dress¬ 
ings; the labours of the tree must then be narrowed. 
The narrowing of these labours is accomplished by severe 
pruning ; this omitted, the produce of the tree becomes 
highly deteriorated, both in the amount aud character of 
the juices, the size of the fruit, and its keeping properties. 
We may here observe, by the way, that the latter is a 
case for the application of liquid manure in addition to 
pruning. 
To return: fruit trees should receive top-dressings 
before too much exhausted, by bearing or ago, to pro¬ 
duce the benefits of which they are capable. 
To all bush-fruit, as currants, gooseberries, and rasp¬ 
berries, top-dressings are of singular benefit, at least, ot 
such as are not on very fertile soils; for those thus 
happily situated a mulching every second year will 
suffice. We have some splendid rows of the Warring- | 
ton, or Aston Seedling, gooseberrg, which were pruned | 
last November, and immediately mulched, nearly three j 
inches in thickness, with a compost four parts out ol I 
five tree or shrub leaves, old tan, &c. These rows are | 
now beautiful to behold; their luxuriance, in defiance | 
of the past extreme drought and frosts, is most striking, ; 
and they are covered with fruit. We were examining 
the top-dressing last evening, in order to ascertain i 
whether it has been already beneficial; it was delightful j 
to witness the profusion of white, active fibres, nestling j 
amongst the decaying organic matter, which still retains | 
a permanency of moisture. Now, it may be affirmed i 
that these bushes would not have received hall the j 
amount of nutriment, to say nothing of moisture, had 
no mulching been applied, and the consequence would 
have been lean and ill-conditioned fruit instead ot an 
article fit foHexhibition purposes; the trees, moreover, 
would probably have been liable to the depredations ol 
the red spider, or other insects. 
Vine borders, too ; the earliest house here, containing 
vines twenty-two years old, with stems a foot in circum¬ 
ference, are a pretty good illustration of the immense 
benefits arising from a rich top-dressing, in this case 
composed of fermenting materials. These vines were 
originally planted in a border much too stitt and too 
deep—vine-border making was not so well understood 
in those days. The grapes, although abundant crops, 
were not thoroughly satisfactory for some years; and 
various plans were tried to improve the condition ot the 
border without perilling the crop, the grapes being too | 
good to think of breaking them up and replanting. The 
means employed constantly improved their •haraoter, 
and amongst the rest may be named the use ot ferment- 1 
ing material. This was first used, some eight or ten j 
years ago, in a cautious way; and the effects were so 
raaulfest, that it was both repeated and increased in 
quantity. The persisting in it annually has produced 
a complete stratification of the surface fibres, and, it is 
almost unnecessary to add, has totally altered the cha¬ 
racter of the vines, which are now all that can be 
desired. A few days since, the materials covering the 
surface were examined; aud this year, not only is the 
surface of the soil clothed with innumerable white 
fibres, but they are rising up abundautly in the moist 
