JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
September  22,  1898. 
220 
The  other  alternative  lies  in  the  direction  of  buying  young  trees, 
and  planting  these  between  old  ones  wherever  there  is  space  enough. 
After  making  one,  two,  or  three  seasons’  growth  these  would  trans¬ 
plant  readily  in  the  autumn  just  when  the  leaves  were  commencing 
to  fall,  and  in  this  ‘way  worn-out  old  trees  could  be  quickly  replaced 
by  young  ones  capable  of  bearing  a  crop  of  fruit  the  first  summer 
after  planting.  There  is  nothing  new  in  all  this,  especially  to  expe¬ 
rienced  gardeners  ;  but  owners  of  gardens  do  not,  as  a  rule,  look  far 
ahead,  and  so  long  as  a  tree  remains  alive  are  content,  overlooking  the 
fact  that  Apricots,  Peaches,  Nectarines  in  particular,  and  on  some  soils 
Plums  and  Cherries,  are  liable  to  gumming  and  early  collapse. 
What  more  than  anything  else  has  suggested  this  article  is  the 
sight  of  so  many  old  orchard  trees  in  a  half-dead  state  this  season. 
Not  merely  are  these  to  be  met  with  in  large  numbers  in  the  south¬ 
western  counties,  but  they  are  equally  conspicuous  in  the  home 
counties.  Latterly  I  have  spent  days  wandering  among  old  as  well 
as  new  orchards  in  Essex  and  Surrey,  and  the  contrast  between  the 
two  classes  of  orchards  is  most  marked.  Many  of  the  old  trees  are 
heavily  cropped  with  small,  worthless  fruit  and  flagging  badly  by 
waut  of  moisture  at  the  roots.  Not  only  are  the  crops  of  no  value 
in  numerous  cases,  but  the  trees  are  so  badly  crippled  that  it  will 
surprise  me  if  they  produce  saleable  fruit  for  at  least  another  two  years. 
It  may  truthfully  be  urged  that  this  is  an  exceptionally  hot  and  dry 
summer,  and  has  followed  a  comparatively  dry  winter  and  spring,  the 
subsoil  not  having  been  sufficiently  moistened  for  a  long  time  past ; 
also  that  there  are  other  reasons  why  young  trees  should  suffer  less 
from  drought  than  do  the  older  ones. 
The  contrast,  however,  is  altogether  in  favour  of  the  youngsters,  by 
which  I  mean  trees  from  six  to  twelve  years  planted.  Many  of  these 
are  carrying  grand  crops  of  fruit  not  quite  so  large  in  size  as  last  year, 
but  heavy  enough  to  sell  readily  at  fairly  good  prices.  The  trees  I  am 
thinking  about  are  now  occupying  fresh  sites,  and  not  planted  either 
in  the  exact  position  previously  occupied  by  a  tree,  or  midway  between 
old  lines  of  trees  ;  and  the  soil  containing  material  that  fruit  trees 
delight  in,  there  is  less  need  to  pass  much  water  or  crude  sap  through 
their  system ;  result,  a  slower  depletion  of  moisture  from  the  earth 
accordingly. 
Much  might  be,  and  in  many  cases,  is,  done  towards  sustaining 
the  pristine  vigour  of  the  trees  by  surface  cultivation,  manuring,  and 
judicious  thinning-out  of  branches,  but  even  this  good  attention  has 
not  met  the  case  satisfactorily  this  season.  Trees  that  meet  each 
other  all  round,  (and  curiously  enough,  when  these  happen  to  be  of 
one  particular  variety  of  Apple  or  Pear,  have  failed  badly  in 
instances  that  have  come  under  my  notice.  In  various  parts  of  the 
country  Apple  Warner’s  King  has  been  a  great  success  this  season,  but 
in  a  friend’s  orchard  where  there  are  several  long  rows,  the  trees 
touching  each  other,  the  crops  are  very  light  indeed,  whereas  isolated 
trees  or  any  in  mixture  with  other  fruits  are,  or  were,  bearing  grand 
crops.  Those  trees,  in  common  with  so  many  in  other  districts,  are 
only  prematurely  old,  and  would  have  done  better  if  allowed  more 
room,  or,  better  still,  had  they  been  mixed  with  other  kinds  and  * 
varieties  of  fruit. 
At  one  time  the  fashion  was,  and  probably  still  is  in  places,  to 
plant  large  numbers  of  trees  of  one  kind  and  variety  together,  and  at 
first  sight  this  seems  to  be  a  desirable  arrangement.  In  reality  it  is 
quite  the  opposite.  Fruit  trees  generally  may  abstract  the  same 
elements  from  the  soil ;  the  manures  that  suit  Apple  trees  apparently 
suiting  Pear  and  P lum  trees  equally  well ;  but  it  is  found  in  actual 
practice  that  Pears  may  be  planted  in  succession  to  Apples,  and  vice 
versa,  with  a  good  prospect  of  success,  always  providing  the  planting 
is  well  done,  where  to  follow  Apples  with  Apples  is  a  waste  of 
money. 
In  order,  therefore,  to  prevent  fruit  trees  from  becoming  prematurely 
old,  and  from  rapidly  depreciating  in  value  after  a  certain  time,  a  more 
intelligent  method  of  mixing  should  be  adopted.  Either  Pears  or 
Plums  alternate  well  with  Apples,  the  trees  of  the  latter  spreading 
more  than  those  of  Pears  and  Plums,  and  if  all  are  24  feet  or  so  apart 
theie  is  not  much  likelihood  of  crowding.  Plant  strong-growing 
standard  Apples  24  feet  apart,  and  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when 
they  will  touch  and  weaken  each  other.  Tbis  advice  ?0- alternate  kinds 
of  fruit  trees  is  not  novel,  but  is  in  opposition  do  an  authority  who 
states  that  it  is  a  great  convenience  in  after  years  to  have  each  row  d 
distinct  variety  of  one  kind  of  fruit,  “  and,  of  course,  as  many  rows  of  \ 
one  variety  in  succession  as  you  please,  not  breaking  the  row  by 
planting  two  or  three  sorts.”  There  is  no  reason  why  all  the  trees  of 
Applies,  say,  in  one  row,  should  not  be  of  one  variety,  unless  w.e  take 
cognisance  of  the  fact  that  varieties  fertilise  each  other,  but  let  them 
alternate  with  another  kind  or  kinds  of  fruit  differing  in  hoth  top  and,. 
I  think,  root  growth.  If  all  Apples  are  planted  -in'“a-  cultivated*.!.' 
protected  orchard,  the  least  that  can  be  done  is  to  alternate  standard 
trees  on  seedling  or  Crab  stocks,  with  natural  pyramids  ,o,r  free  bushes 
on  the  English  Paradise  stock,  neither  the  topis  of  the  trees  nor 
the  roots  interfering  with  each  other  for  many  years  to  come. 
In  planting  in  grass  orchards  where  standards  only  are  suitable, 
and  Apples  preferred  as  being  the  most  reliable  and  pirofitable  in  any 
particular  locality,  I  would  advise  alternating  tall-growing  with 
spreading  varieties,  and  in  any  case  to  allow  each  tree  abundance  of 
room.  Where  the  trees,  as  too  often  met  with,  are  dispiosed  not  more 
than  24  feet  apiart,  and  often  still  more  close  together,  they  are  not 
long  in  reaching  each  other,  eventually  losing  many  of  their  lower 
branches,  and  fruiting  on  the  tops  of  the  trees  only.  Orchard  trees 
ought  not  to  be  less  than  30  feet  apart.  In  the  old  orchards  we  may 
find  a  few  grand  trees  that  have  overgrown  and  practically  killed  the 
rest,  and  these  seem  capable  of  going  on  for  ages,  producing  heavy 
crops  of  good  fruit  whenever  the  season  is  favourable.  Abundance  of 
room  for  the  roots  to  forage  in,  and  the  trees  to  spread,  staves  off 
decrepit  old  age.  We  ought  in  all  cases  to  respect  old  age,  but  with 
fruit  trees,  as  with  mankind,  young  blood,  with  all  its  vitality,  is- 
absolutely  needed  to  “  keep  things  going.” — W.  Iggulden. 
SOME  RESULTS  OF  THE  DROUGHT. 
The  season  so  far  has  been  fraught  with  many  troubles,  the 
enumeration  of  which  would  take  up  more  space  than  the  Editor 
would  care  to  grant.  But  gardeners  as  a  class  are  in  full  sympathy 
one  towards  another,  so  the  relation  of  a  few  of  the  untoward  results 
of  the  long-absent  and  much-needed  rain  will  be  sure  to  enlist  some 
recognition.  The  sections  known  to  gardeners  under  the  several 
headings  of  vegetables,  fruit,  Chrysanthemums,  Dahlias,  Hoses, 
herbaceous  and  other  border  plants,  all  provide  ample  themes  for 
comment.  There  are  isolated  districts,  may  be,  where  the  rainfall  has 
been  more  abundant  than  applies  to  the  country  generally,  and  the 
gardener  so  favoured  scarcely  realises  the  difference  between  his  case, 
and  that  of  his  neighbour  outside  the  radius  of  the  storm  line. 
A  good  water  supply  ought  to  be  the  first  provision  for  every" 
garden,  and  if  this  is  not  to  be  had  locally,  then  thought  should  bn 
directed  towards  a  permanent  supply  from  a  source  as  near  as  circum¬ 
stances  permit.  Difficulties,  it  is  true,  crop  up  often,  and  considerable 
ones,  too,  but  they  in  many  cases  may  be  surmounted  by  steady 
resolution,  and  particularly  when  employers  possess  sufficient  interest 
to  allow  such  matters  to  be  examined  and  explained.  Very  often  a 
sufficiency  of  water  to  tide  over  a  drought  visitation  may  be  stored  on 
the  place,  if  only  tank  room  is  provided.  The  initial  cost,  if  needed, 
may  be  extended  over  a  series  of  years,  and  the  outlay  would  in  the 
end  be  considered  perfectly  justifiable.  ^  A  garden  with  a  scanty  store 
of  water  is  practically  at  a  standstill  during  such  weather  as  we  have 
experienced  during  the  past  summer,  because  when  the  greatest 
amount  is  necessary  there  is  the  least  store  to  draw  upon  to  meet  it. 
Perhaps  the  more  serioas  aspect  brought  about  by  the  drought 
is  found  in  the  vegetable  apd  fruit  gardens  where  the  shortness 
of  water  is  predominant.  Vegetables  of  most  kinds  languish,  and 
even  flag  badly  when  subject  to  the  scorching  sun,  Celery  perhaps 
more  than  any  other ;  and  there  will  be,  unless  rain  comes  speedily, 
a  diminution  in  the  size  and  quality  of  this  winter  crop.  Potatoes  on 
poor  land  supply  a  sample  fairly  well  fitted  for  planting  the  ground 
another  year,-  in  allotments,  which  are  rarely  overdone  with  manure, 
this  is  particularly  applicable.  In  richer  garden  land  the  crop  is  not 
nearly  so  heavy  as  usual,  but  the  quality  is,  as  might  be  expected,  of 
the  best. 
Peas  did  remarkably  well  in  the  early  summer,  but  sowings  intended 
for  the  autumn  lost  their  energy  from  lack  of  root  and  atmospheric 
moisture,  and  as  mildew  supervened  these  were  brought  to  a  premature 
end.  The  ground  was  heavily  mulched,  but  without  result  so  far  as. 
