November 15. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
83 
deration of the varied staple of various localities. 
Some soils are too loose, too sandy; others too adhe¬ 
sive. Some are of a boggy or peaty complexion, and 
some of the character of upland moss soil. Again, 
how much subsoils vary; here we have stubborn 
clays or marls, dry sands, wet or gouty sands, and 
wet or dry gravels; besides which, beneath some 
soils there is a horizontal stratum of stone or other 
imperishable material, of which that termed in some 
parts of the country “ fox bench” is one of the worst. 
When these tilings are duly considered, it will 
become evident that the planter’s business is one that 
requires some thought; some nice weighing of matters, 
and a cautious mode of procedure under all circum¬ 
stances. To say little about profit and loss—which 
indeed are the main considerations with most people 
after all—how great the disappointment to thousands 
annually on being informed that their pet collection 
of fruit-trees, established some four or five years pre¬ 
viously, and about which such sanguine anticipations 
were indulged in, can never be expected to succeed, 
through errors in the constitution of the soil or other 
evils. That such, however, is the case frequently, is 
tolerably manifest both from facts which we yearly 
witness, and as evidenced by the character of the 
queries addressed to The Cottage Gardener. Let 
us, therefore, once for all, persuade our readers to 
think well before they plant a new garden. Any one 
certainly may plant a tree; not every one, however, 
can with certainty predict the result which must fol¬ 
low, through a thorough practical knowledge of the 
character of the soil and subsoil. 
In concerting plans preparatory to planting fruit- 
trees, a due regard should be had to the economical 
bearing of the subject, for success does not always 
imply great expense. In a great many cases a few 
barrowsful of soil formed into a “ station” (according 
to plans we have formerly laid down, and will again 
recur to shortly) will accomplish the end in view 
equally as well as though as many cart-loads of com¬ 
post had been introduced. And here we cannot but 
remember the vast preparation and enormous expense 
in making what were termed “ borders ” in our 
younger days. It was no uncommon thing to see a 
fine little pasture field so robbed of its treasures 
tli at its even appearance (to say nothing of loss in 
actual produce) was completely broken up. A “ bor¬ 
der ” had to be made; this of course was considered 
an all-important affair. Sad, however, to relate, 
nothing less than a four feet excavation could be 
considered orthodox, for it must be admitted that our 
prescriptive men of those days were somewhat noto¬ 
rious for being rather imperative as to depth, and we 
fear we may honestly add richness of compost. 
Well, then, a border was formed which was capable 
of producing many generations of cauliflowers, let¬ 
tuce, and celery, with scarcely any signs of exhaus¬ 
tion: it would also, in addition, produce abundance of 
enormous twigs on the finely labelled trees. Fine 
crops of fruit, however, the main object sought, did 
not always reward the constructor of deep and rich 
borders. The trees would grow with magical rapidity, 
making what was termed “clean” wood; not a spot 
or a wrinkle to be found, and covering a vast space 
of walling in a couple or three years. By-and-by came 
the spurring back to produce fruit-spurs, and then 
it might soon be discovered that fruit-spurs cannot 
be created by the pruner’s knife : such may command 
“ breast-wood,” but not blossom-buds. However, in 
these cases there appearedjno alternative, and so, with 
the most determined resolution, the hero of the deep 
and rich border would persist, year after year, in 
spurring back, and paying the most scrupulous at¬ 
tention to training the shoots neat and straight. 
We have been led into these remarks by the neces¬ 
sity which appears to us to exist for warning the 
young or inexperienced liorticulurist of the present 
day against being led into such unnecessary expenses. 
The character of the times we live in will, indeed, of 
itself, soon pare down all works of supererogation: 
Men now want a reason for matters of expenditure, 
and it is an honour to the gardening profession that, 
from their rapid progression of late, such can in the 
majority of cases be furnished. 
We will shortly advert to the benefits and the 
economy of forming “ platforms ” for fruit-trees, in 
the construction of which but a very moderate amount 
of fresh or maiden soil will be requisite, as our fun¬ 
damental object will be to show that in a majority of 
cases it is merely inorganic matters that are requisite, 
and these are comparatively inexpensive affairs. In 
the meantime let every attention be paid to thorough 
drainage, for although we would improve but limited 
spots or stations for the trees where ground is of an 
ungenial character, yet in draining it is better to 
proceed on a bold plan at once, and thorough drain. 
Niggardly and patch-work draining is the most ex¬ 
pensive draining by far. We have known several 
cases in our day in which patch-work drains, dictated 
by a too rigid economy in the first outlay, had to be 
superseded by a new scheme on a wider foundation. 
Boggy or peaty soils require the most drainage; it 
is with much difficulty such soils part with then- 
water in the first instance. As time and culture 
mellows them, they go on steadily improving, and 
losing that elasticity, which is a mere consequence 
of possessing too much organic matter in an unde- 
composed state. Letting out the water lets in the 
air, that grand ameliorator and corrector of acidity 
in soils: all this is as amply shown within the pre¬ 
cincts of a flower-pot as in hundi-eds of acres, to 
those who can carefully observe, and reason on their 
observations. 
As to the best planting season, we prefer the early 
autumn months : indeed we are now removing many 
apple, pear, and plum-trees, of 10 or 12 feet in height, 
and some 30 feet in circumference, without the least 
fear or hesitation; depending, as we do, on the period 
and on the precautions taken. We may shortly give 
a detail of the exact mode of procedure here practised. 
Root Pruning. —At p. 28 we concluded our obser¬ 
vations upon this subject as applicable to the Pear 
and Apple, and we will now consider the root pruning 
of our other hardy fruits. 
Root Pruning the Plum. —Plums may in general 
be managed without pruning by a finger-and-thumb 
stopping, for the gross shoots once pinched in May 
or June, these trees are not so liable to produce 
similar ones so late as the peach and nectarine. 
Young trees, however, in a trained state are apt to 
produce very strong shoots, and it is well to let them 
have pretty much their own way for a couple of years, 
when root pruning may be had recourse to, and this, 
with finger-and-thumb work during the next summer, 
will in general cover them with spurs. 
Root Pruning the Peach and Nectarine. —Root 
pruning should not be practised with these after they 
have once got into a bearing state, even if a season 
of total barrenness ensues. As before observed, the 
peach is not a long-lived tree under ordinary circum¬ 
stances, and is very impatient of a fret when of some 
age. Indeed, with anything like good management 
peaches will not want i-oot pruning more than once, 
and this only in extreme cases. Great care should 
