FRUITS.] HORTICUL T U R E 269 pressions of its surface. Fruit-tree borders should not be at all cropped with culinary vegetables, or very slightly so, as the process of digging destroys the roots of the trees, ; and drives them from near the surface, where they ought to be. Shallow planting, whether of wall trees or standards, is generally to be preferred, a covering of a few inches of soil being sufficient for the roots, but a surface of at least equal size to the surface of the hole should be covered with dung or litter so as to restrain evaporation and preserve moisture. In the case of wall trees, a space of 5 or 6 inches is usually left between the stem at the insertion of the roots and the wall, to allow for increase of girth. Young standard trees should be tied to stakes so as to prevent their roots being ruptured by the wind-waving of the stems. In the selection and distribution of fruit trees regard must of course be had to local situation and climate. The best walls having a south or south-east aspect are devoted to the peach, apricot, and fig. Cherries and the generality of plums succeed very well either on an east or a west aspect. In Scotland the mulberry requires the protection of a wall, and several of the finer apples and pears do not arrive at perfection without this help, and a tolerably good aspect. The wall-trees intended to be permanent are called dwarfs, from their branches springing from near the ground. Between these, trees with tall stems, called riders, are planted as temporary occupants of the upper part of the wall. The riders should have been trained in the nursery into good-sized trees, in order that when planted out they may come into bearing as speedily as possible. Standard Fruit Trees should not be planted, if it can be avoided, in the borders of the kitchen garden, but in the outer slips, where they either may be allowed to attain their full size, or may be kept dwarfed. Each sort of fruit should be planted by itself, for the sake of orderly arrange ment, and in order to facilitate protection when necessary by a covering of nets. Their produce is often superior in flavour to that of the same kind of fruit grown on walls. Imond. 115. The Almond, Amygdalus communis, is very ornamental in respect to its flowers in the early spring months, but of little value for its fruit. There are two varieties, one producing large flowers and sweet-kcrnelled fruits, and the other small flowers and bitter kernels. Every good garden should contain a tree or two, especially of the sweet almond, for their ornamental aspect in spring. The almond requires a warm light soil, well drained, and a sheltered position and warm aspect. It is propagated by budding on the seedling almond, or for heavier soils on the plum stock. See ALMOND, vol. i. p. 5!U. pple. 116 . The Apple, Pyrus Mains, is amongst tho most useful of all our hardy fruits, and succeeds in localities too cold for either the pear or the plum, while from its flowering later in the spring it is less liable to be cut oil by frosts. It may be propagated by seeds to obtain stocks for grafting, and also f >r the production of new varieties. The established sorts are usually increased by grafting, the method called whip-grafting being preferred. The stocks should be at least as thick as tho finger ; and should be headed back to where the graft is to be fixed in January, unless the weather is frosty, but in any case before vegetation becomes active. The scions should be cut about the same time, and laid in firmly in a trench, in contact with the moist soil, until required. The apple-tree will thrive in any good well-drained soil, the best being a good mellow calcareous loam, while the less iron there is in the subsoil the better. The addition of marl to soils that are not naturally calcareous very much improves them. The trees are liable to canker in undrained soils or those of a hot sandy nature. Whore the soil is not naturally rich enough, it should be well manured, but not to the extent of encouraging over-luxuriance. It is better to apply manure in the form of a compost than to use it in a fresh state or nnmixed. To form an orchard, standard trees should be planted at from 25 to 40 feet between the rows, according to the fertility of the soil and other considerations. The trees should be selected with clean, straight, self-supporting stems, and the head should be shapely and symmetrical, with the main branches well balanced. In order to obtain such a stem, all the leaves on tho first shoot from the graft or bud should be encouraged to grow, and in the second season tho terminal bud should lie allowed to develop a further leading shoot, while the lateral shoots should be allowed to grow, but so that they do not compete with the leader, on which the growth of leaves should bo encouraged in order that they may give additional strength to the stem below them. The side shoots should be removed gradually, so that tho diminution of foliage in this direction may not exceed the increase made by the new branches and shoots of the upper portion. Dwarf pyramids, which occupy less space than open dwarfs, if not allowed to grow tall, may be planted at from 10 to 12 feet apart. Dwarf bush trees may be planted from 10 to 15 feet apart, according to the variety and the soil. Dwarf bushes on the Paradise stock are both ornamental and useful in small gardens, the trees being always conveniently under control. These bush trees, which must be on the proper stock the French Paradise may be planted at first 6 feet apart, with the same distance between the rows, the space being afterwards increased, if desired, to 12 feet apart, by removing every alternate row. "Cordons" are trees trained to a single shoot, the laterals of which are kept spurred. They are usually trained horizontally, at about 1^ feet from the ground, and may consist of one stem or of two, the stems in the latter case being trained in opposite directions. In cold districts the finer sorts of apples may be grown against walls as upright or oblique cordons. From these cordon trees very fine fruit may often be obtained. The apple may also be grown as an espalier tree, a form which does not require much lateral space. The ordinary trained trees for espaliers and walls should be planted 20 feet apart. The fruit of the apple is produced on spurs which form on the branchlets of two years old and upwards, and continue fertile for a series of years. The principal pruning should be performed in summer, the young shoots if crowded being thinned out, and the superabundant laterals shortened by breaking them half through. The general winter pruning of the trees may take place any time from the beginning of November to the beginning of March, in open weather. The trees are rather subject to the attacks of the American blight (Eriosoma mail), which may be removed by scrubbing with a hard brush, by painting the affected spots with any bland oil, or by washing them with dilute paraffin and soft soap. Tho following are a few of the most approved varieties of the apple tree, arranged in the order of their ripening, with the months in which they are in use: Dessert Apples. White Juneating July. Early Red Margaret Aug. Irish Peach Aug. Devonshire Quarrenden ..Aug., Sept. Duchess of Oldenburg. . . .Aug., Sept. Oslin Aug., Sept. Red Astrachan Sept. Kerry Pippin Sept., Oct. Peasgood s Nonesuch . . . .Sept., Oct. King of the Pippins Get. -Jan. Cox s Orange Pippin Oct. -Feb. Court of Wick Oct. -Mar. Blenheim Pippin Nov. -Feb. Sam Young Nov.-Feb. Sykehouse Russet Nov. -Feb. Fearn s Pippin Nov.-Mar. Herefordshire Pearmain. .Nov. -Mar. Mannington s Pearmain . .Nov.-Mar. Margil Nov.-Mar. Ribston Pippin Nov, Golden Pippin Nov. Golden Reinette Nov. Northern Spy Nov Rosemary Russet Nov Ashmead s Kernel Nov Aromatic Russet Dec. White Winter Calville ) D (grown under glass) . . / Braihlick s Nonpareil . . . .Dec. Court-pendu Plat Dec. Wyken Pippin Dec. Cornish Gillitlower Dec. Golden Harvey Dec. Scarlet Nonpareil Jan. Cockle s Pippin Jan. Lamb Abbey Pearmain . . . Jan. Old Nonpareil Jan. Stunner Pippin Feb. -Mar. -Apr. -Apr. -Apr. -Apr. .-May. Feb. -Mar. -Apr. -Apr. -Apr. May. May. Mar. May. May. May. June. Kitchen Apples. Keswick Cocllin Aug., Sept. i Gloria Mundi Nov. -Jan. Lord SuiHeld Aug., Sept. Manks Codlin Aug.-Oct. Ecklinville Seedling Aug.-Nov. Stirling Castle Aug.-Nov. Stone s Aug.-Nov. Emperor Alexander Sept.-Dec. Waltham Abbey Seedling Sept.-Jan. Cellini Oct., Nov. Gravenstein Oct.-Dec. Hawthornden Oct.-Dec. Baiunann s Red Winter ) .-, , T Reinette f Oct.-Jan. Mere do Menage Oct.-Jan. Beauty of Kent Out. -Feb. Yorkshire Greening Oct. -Feb. Blenheim Pippin Nov.-Feb. Tower of Glammis Nov.-Feb. Warner s King Nov.-Mar. All riston Nov.-Apr. London Pippin Nov.-Apr. Northern Greening Nov.-Apr. Reinette de Canada Nov.-Apr. Bess Pool Nov. -May. Royal Russet Nov.-June. Gooseberry Nov. -July. Winter Greening Nov. -July. Rhode Island Greening ..Dec.-Apr. Rymer Lane s Prince Albert . . . . Dec.-Apr. .Jan. -June. .Jan. -June. Norfolk Beaufln . . See Ari LE, vol. ii. p. m. 117. The Apricot, Prunus Armeninca or Armeniaca vulgaris, is Aprico propagated by budding on the mussel or common plum stock. The tree succeeds in good well-drained loamy soil, rather light than heavy. It is usually grown as a wall tree, the east and west aspects being preferred to the south, which induces mealiness in the fruit, though in Scotland tho best aspects are necessary. The most usual and best mode of training is the fan method in the modi fied form represented in par. 26, under fig. 8:5. The fruit is produced on shoots of the preceding year, and on small close spurs formed on the two-year-old wood. The trees should be planted about 20 feet apart. The summer pruning should commence early in June, at which period all the irregular fore-right and useless shoots are to be pinched off ; and, shortly afterwards, those which remain are to be fastened to the wall. At the winter pruning all
branches not duly furnished with spurs and fruit buds are to be
