THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, September 7, 1858. 
On the other hand, nitrogenous manures are exceedingly fa¬ 
vourable to the growth of wheat; and they increase the pro¬ 
portion of starch in the grain, and hasten its maturity. We 
know little,—in fact nothing, with any degree of certainty,— 
in regard to the effect of different fertilisers on fruit trees ; 
but it is safe to affirm, that the same general principle applies 
to them,—that anything which is favourable to their healthy 
and vigorous growth is favourable to their early maturity. 
“ Turnips manured with an excess of ammonia will continue 
to grow till cut down with the frost; while those on the same 
soil, and sown at the same time, manured with superphos¬ 
phate, will be ripe several weeks earlier. So fruit trees on 
some soils, abounding in organic matter, continue to grow 
late in the fall, and do not mature their wood. They have 
an abundance of food, but it is not appropriate to their 
healthy growth. On this account, rich, low lands, are 
generally to be avoided. 
“ In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, however, fruit 
trees are in no danger of being injured from an excess of fer¬ 
tilising matter in the soil. The danger lies in the other di¬ 
rection. A farmer, who has a large farm half tilled, cannot 
be persuaded to devote a few acres exclusively to fruit trees. 
He wants a crop of grass, or grain, as well as fruit. Such a 
fruit-grower need have no fears that his orchard will be in¬ 
jured by excessive growth. Animals half starved are more 
liable to disease than those supplied with a sufficient quantity 
of appropriate food. The same is true of fruit trees. Plant 
them on poor soil, or rob them of their appropriate food by 
the growth of other crops, and they are rendered much more 
susceptible to disease. Their constitution is weakened, and 
they are less capable of withstanding cold and other adverse 
influences. 
“We believe the primary cause of the curl of the leaf in 
Peaches, and the black knot in Plums, is the low temperature 
of the soil. The leaves of a tree give off a large quantity of 
water. They maintain a kind of perpetual sucking action 
upon the stem, which is communicated to the spongelets at 
the extremity of the roots. If the roots are in a soil much 
colder than the air, they are unable to absorb sufficient 
water to supply that given off by the leaves ; the consequence 
is, that the leaves curl up and die, and the fruit falls off,—or 
it will 1 shank,’ as Grapes do when the house is much warmer 
than the external border. 
“ Evaporation produces cold. Every pound of water evapo¬ 
rated from the soil abstracts a definite amount of heat. Plants 
growing in a soil evaporate much more water than would the 
naked soil. To cultivate other crops among fruit trees, there¬ 
fore, not only robs the trees of nourishment, but reduces the 
temperature of the soil. But the great reason why the soil is 
colder than the air is owing to an excess of moisture. Heat 
cannot be transmitted downward through water. The remedy 
is evident. Remove the excesss of water by means of under¬ 
drains. It has been found, by repeated trials, that a well 
underdrained soil is usually about 10° warmer than one that 
is undrained. Professor Schubler has proved that the loss of 
heat caused by evaporation, in undrained lands, amounts to 
lli° to 13^°. In draining the Red Moss, near Bolton-le- 
Moors, Mr. Parkes found the thermometer in the drained 
land rose in June to 66°, while in that which was not drained 
it would never rise above 47°—a gain of 19°. Simpson says 
he has * frc quently found the soil of a field higher in tempera¬ 
ture, from 10° to 15°, than that of another field which had not 
been drained, though in every other respect the soils were 
similar.’ A writer in the Quarterly Review states that one 
pound of water, evaporated from one thousand pounds of soil, 
will depress the temperature of the whole mass ten degrees. 
“ A careful observer, near this city, informs us that his soil 
this season was quite cold till about the middle of June, 
whereas, quite early in the spring, we had remarkably warm 
weather. Under such circumstances, the equilibrium between 
the supply of food from the roots, and the demand of the 
rapid-growing leaves and branches, was destroyed,— the 
growth was unhealthy, and the trees were rendered weak and 
unable to resist the subsequent cold weather, and disease, loss 
of fruit and foliage, and in many cases death, ensued. 
“ This is an extreme case, and the best means that could be 
employed might have been found ineffectual, but it is evident 
that the injury would have been less severe, if the temperature 
of the soil had been higher. Unlike animals, plants do not 
generate heat; they are dependent on the soil, and it is evident 
that a tree absorbing sap ten or fifteen degrees warmer than 
another, would be far less susceptible to sudden depressions of 
atmospheric temperature. During cold nights, evaporation 
from the leaves is nearly suspended; there would, consequently, 
be little loss of heat, and in a warm soil the temperature of 
the tree might be much higher than the surrounding atmos¬ 
phere. While, therefore, the atmospheric changes are beyond 
the control of the cultivator, he might do much to mitigate 
their injurious effects, by raising the temperaturo of the soil, 
—and this he is enabled to do by thorough underdraining, 
and keeping the land loose and free from weeds, grass, &c. 
“ ‘ But why,’ we are asked, cannot Peaches be raised as 
easily now, as when the country was new ? ’ Because the 
dense forests afforded shelter from the severe winds, and, like 
large bodies of water, served somewhat to equalize the tempera¬ 
ture. Then roots, remaining in the ground for some years 
after the trees were cut down, assisted drainage. The forests 
and the roots are now gone, and we must resort to artificial 
drainage, which it is well known not only increases th^ tem¬ 
perature of the soil, but when extensively practised has also an 
equalizing effect on the temperature of the air. Severe 
winters, and excessively dry, hot summers, are far less frequent 
now in England, than before the introduction of thorough 
drainage.” 
BEE-KEEPING IN DEVON. 
In your last publication I was glad to observe an interest¬ 
ing communication, signed “ T. W. W.,” on the compara¬ 
tive advantages of wide and narrow hives, a subject not yet, 
as I think, sufficiently investigated, although my own opinion 
inclines somewhat to that of De Gelieu, in favour of broad 
hives. Your correspondent’s table of the relative weights of 
each of his three stocks, at different pei’iods, is scarcely 
conclusive enough for an accurate verdict in favour of a deep 
hive, although the experiment was made with swarms of 
equal weight to begin with. No. 1 (eight-bar hive) main¬ 
tained the lead of No. 2 (seven-bar hive) up to the 21st of 
June, or the first three weeks (a very important point), when 
No. 2 passed it by a trifle, till the 29th of June, after which 
No. 1 was again in the ascendant for a few days, but leaving 
off on the 10th of August, four ounces behind No. 2, a mere 
trifle of difference, which any slight contingency might have 
occasioned, and on which no theory can be erected. No. 3 
hive (eight bars), with a larger swarm to begin with, main¬ 
tained its superiority in proportion to its numbers, although 
“ T. W. W.” attributes blame to its queen, when it begun to 
fall off. But an inspection of the table will show that a 
similar defection took place at precisely the same time, in the 
other hives for a few days, probably occasioned by weather, 
and so the relative positions were maintained to the end. 
Similar influences prevailing in the three hives, I cannot see 
on what your correspondent founds his opinion, that the 
heaviest hive (No. 3) will “ probably not survive longer than 
next spring, unless provided with a new queen.” I should 
give a contrary opinion, from present appearances, for we are 
much in the dark as regards the provision made by nature 
for the preservation or restoration of queens. But the most 
interesting portion" of the experiment remains for decision, 
when we are informed of the results to each hive on their 
return from the heath, to which they were conveyed on the 
11th of August. I trust “ T. W. W.” will satisfy our 
curiosity at the earliest opportunity on this head. It will 
further be very interesting to follow up the experiment during 
the winter and spring months, if your correspondent will 
continue his communications so long.— An Old Apiarian. 
Blackberry Wine. —There is no wine equal to the Black¬ 
berry wine when properly made, either in flavour or for me- j 
dicinal purposes, and all persons who can conveniently do 
so, should manufacture enough for their own use every year, 
as it is invaluable in sickness as a tonic, and nothing is a 
better remedy for bowel diseases. We therefore give the re¬ 
ceipt for making it, and having tried it ourselves we speak 
advisedly on the subject: “Measure your berries and bruise 
them ; to every gallon adding one quart of boiling water. 
Let the mixture stand twenty-four hours, stirring occa- 
