354 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, March 12, 1861. 
fallen, the whole of eaeh tree should be painted over with quick 
lime and fine, clay, mixed together with sufficient water to form 
it into a paint-like consistence. The clay should be carted away, 
and if convenient laid in a heap and burnt. It will make an 
excellent dressing for the land afterwards. If it is gravel, it 
would do no harm to spread it on the surface immediately. This 
work being all completed and the weather favourable, I would 
set to work a number of labourers to trench the ground, the 
manner of doing which I will describe hereafter. 
In order to give the roots of fruit trees in an orchard-house a 
fair scope, I should proceed, after the draining was completed 
and the trees cleared of parasitical plants, to trench the ground. 
I should proceed to do this in the following manner :—I should 
set out on one side of the ground a breadth of land 60, 80, or 
100 feet broad—just enough to give room for the diggers to work. 
I should direct the men to open a trench the length of the 
piece set, and about 3 feet or 4 feet wide. All the soil of that 
trench should be wheeled away, and laid in a long ridge on the 
adjoining breadth of land. It is intended to fill up the trench 
on returning from the other end of the orchard. When this is 
done then set out with a line the next trench of the same width. 
I should take a thin spit off the top and throw it into the 
bottom of the trench, and upon that I should lay all the soil and 
even a little of the subsoil also, unless it was very bad indeed. 
If the bottom is exposed to the air it ameliorates and is im¬ 
proved. By this deep trenching there is, of course, a larger 
pasture for the roots to ream in. As the work went on, I 
should necessarily come across the trees. The roots of these I 
should carefully preserve, without injuring even the smallest 
fibres. When the entire roots of one tree are all loosened so 
that the tree can be lifted out of its place, I should examine 
them, and any that were cankered or decayed I should cut with 
Bliarp instruments clean off to a sound part. It might be neces¬ 
sary to prune in part of the branches also, so as to balance the 
tree on every side or not—at all events I would cut off all that 
were dead or cankered. 
All these points having been attended to, I should then re¬ 
plant the tree in the fresh newly-trenched soil, spreading the 
roots equally on every side. I should first, however, consider 
whether the subsoil was unfavourable or not. If it evidently 
was, then I would adopt my late lamented friend, Mr. Errington’s 
plan of forming stations for every ti’ee—that is, laying a platform 
of four-feet or five-feet-square stones or brick-ends, covered with 
lime grouting under each tree, so deep as to allow room for soil 
enough over it and over the roots to cover them. If the 
situation of the orchard exposes the trees to strong currents of 
air, and the heads of the trees are large, then I should have 
them secured so that they would not be loosened or blown down. 
The best way to do this is to procure a sufficient number of short, 
strong pegs, and drive down very firmly four of them to each 
tree, at the opposite points of the compass. If the trees arc of a 
moderate size, the pegs should be driven in at 15 feet distance 
from the stem of the tree ; if smaller in size, then 10 feet would 
be sufficient. Then have four lengths of wire sufficiently strong, 
or tarred rope would do. These I should fasten one end of each 
to the tree, and the other ends one to each of the pegs, or, if 
you like, call them stakes ; the stays would then support the tree 
from every quarter the wind might blow from. I have repeatedly 
proved this method, and have fouud it the best plan to prevent 
the winds from blowing down newly-planted large trees. 
If any of the trees should be fouud to be in a very bad state, 
both at the root and the head, I should then discard them and 
plant young ones in their place. 
Having attended to every tree on the piece—that was, trench¬ 
ing and done all that was necessary to them right across the 
orchard, I should have a trench at the far side to fill up. I 
should set out another breadth of land of the same width as the 
first; and having a trench at the end of it to open, the soil 
that came out of it would conveniently serve to fill up the open 
trench. 
In this way I should proceed till all the orchard was com¬ 
pleted, and should then expect to see the trees restored in a few 
years to perfect health, and soon produce abundant crops of 
fruit to repay the labour and expense I had been at. Having 
paid attention to put the roots into good order, I should try to 
keep them so by giving a dressing with a compost of soil, lime, 
and dung every third year. The heap should be put together 
and turned over several times for twelve months previous to 
laying it on. The surface of the soil should be stirred once 
a-year with a five-pronged fork. It should never be dug or 
ploughed, for these operations destroy the best ol the roots— 
those that are near the surface preventing them from having the 
benefit of the air and sun. The orchard generally is converted 
into a pasture—a sort of home-paddock for, perhaps, milk cows 
or sheep. This is a bad system. The cattle trample the ground 
till it is very hard, which cramps the roots, and they rub against 
the trees, injuring their bark, and also crop the lower branches 
by browsing upon them. I would not allow any cattle in my 
orchard. “But,” says the farmer, “can I—may I not make 
some use of the land I have thus drained and trenched?” Cer¬ 
tainly, my friend, you may. When the trees have made good 
roots and have fair-sized heads, you may, if you like, sow it 
down with such a crop as will not injure the trees. After the 
forking over and covering the land with the above compost, you 
may sow Turnips, or Rape, or even Lucerne, to be mown and 
carried out to the cattle; and in time, when the trees arc 
approaching to each other, you may sow the ground with grass 
seeds—only always remember to mow the grass, and give it 
to the cattle out of the orchard. This may seem needless ; but 
I do believe more orchards are destroyed, or at least rendered 
unproductive, and consequently unprofitable, by turning cattle 
into them than by any other cause (wet land excepted) what¬ 
ever. I conclude this part of my subject by reiterating that in 
the first place make a good pasture for the root, take care of 
them afterwards, and you will have fine healthy trees in your 
orchard. T. Appleby. 
(To he continued.) 
TO CORRESPONDENTS, 
Variegated Geranium Cuttings {T. F.). —They are struck in autumn 
just the same as those of other Geraniums. Their treatment after the 
winter is stated at page 313 of No. 648. 
Peaches and Vines [Nemo). —The Peaches you name will give you 
first-rate early and late fruit. The Vines may be one Muscat, one Sweet* 
water, two Hamburghs, black, and one West’s St. Peter’s, to hang late. 
In either case the stages in the greenhouse and hothouse should be low. 
Ground Glass for Greenhouse Hoof [J. C., Glasgow).— Yourlastlins 
solves the whole matter. Such glass is au advantage lor all greenhouse 
plants in summer if not too much obscured. We find plants do well under 
it at all times, as the rays of light pass through it sufliciently, whilst much 
of the heating rays are kept out. Wc confess we like the appearance of 
common glass best; and it is easy to put up curtains of thin gauze or 
bleached calico in summer, with rings under the sashes, and leaving them 
on from May to October. Still we have no doubt your ground glass will do. 
Cucumber, is it a Fruit? (J. Crossling). —The Cucumber, speaking 
botanieally, is certainly a fruit; but speaking pomologically it is not. In 
the latter sense, that is only a fruit which is used in its ripe state. A 
Melon is a fruit; but a Cucumber is a vegetable, or salad, or both. It is a 
vegetable when stewed or boiled, and it is a salad when eaten raw. The 
Cucumber, therefore, in the gardening sense of the term, is not a fruit. 
Desmodium gyrans (IF. IF. B.). —This is synonymous with Eedysarum 
ggrans. Keep the seeds in hot water for six hours—say at 120°, and then 
sow in a hotbed. The chief attraction of this plant is that its lateral leaflets 
move up and down, sometimes steadily, sometimes in jerks, without any 
apparent cause. This spontaneous motion is most exhibited when the sun 
shines on the plant, and the house in which it is growing is shut up warm. 
It is popularly known as the “moving plant.” 
Management of Orchard-house ( Ignoramus ).—There need be no 
nuisance with the fire if properly managed. The air-drain will do no 
harm, but the furnace being inside will not cause it to burn a bit the worse 
if there is a sufficient rise—say 18 inches from the bars to the neck of the 
flue. Of course, the increase in the size will lessen the effect of the heat 
on the Vines. See Mr. Fish’s description of Mr. Rivers’ stoves and small 
boilers. When the flue has been unused, use very dry chips to heat the 
furnace at first. The onc-foot shutter will not be sufficient; better have 
15 or 18 inches. The West’s St. Peter’s Vine will do. Plant it near where 
the flue commences, it will hang longer than the others. 
Fruit Trees in Pots—Ghoaving Spergulas (J. T.). —No one can tell 
why your fruit trees in pots have failed without seeing and knowing more 
about them. Shake all the soil from the roots of the plants which went 
wrong, and plant them on some good piece of ground for one season, and 
keep them clean and clear from insects the whole season. Yours is a most 
luxuriant specimen of our native Spergula saginoides, which is so broad in 
the leaves, and they spreading out quite flat on the ground, that it looks 
quite dift'erent from Hpergula pilifera; but in our specimen plot at this 
moment it would be difficult to tell pilifera from subulata. All the kinds 
which we have received by post have resolved themselves into subulata and 
1 saginoides. Every one which was sent to us as pilifera in 1859 has turned 
out to be subulata; and we have the true subulata from, and tallied by, 
1 the author of “ Cybele Britannica” on purpose to decide the kinds. As 
j far as we can judge, none of these kinds should ever be planted in the 
| autumn. From February to April is the only time to transplant them. As 
' pilifera likes strong clay land, and saginoides the loosest of our sandy soils, 
the two must be grown together and crossed for an intermediate breed to 
suit all lands. But our eyes and fingers fail us now in bigger game, else 
we should soon improve Spergulas to suit every region of the temperate 
1 parts of the globe. 
Cutting Down Vines Newly Planted (O. O.).— Cut the rods down to 
four eyes immediately, or they will bleed. Do uot give any artificial heat; 
the rods will come all the stronger if you let them grow gradually. If the 
i soil is dryish, water them. Keep the air moderately moist, and ventilate 
freely. 
