It is sometimes difficult to prune large trees in summer. Therefore, whatever is required to be done to them should be proceeded with as soon as the crop is gathered and before the leaf falls, unless the head of the tree requires to be cut back, or any portion of the tree requires young wood to supply deficiencies. In that case, the early part of March is the proper time for the operation. I would, under this head, call attention to the thinning of the fruit, as already mentioned a very important matter for those who wish to excel in their produce. It could be tried on a small scale at first, and, if found to answer, could easily be carried out on an extensive scale. What would become of half the apricot, and peach, and nectarine trees against walls, if their fruit was not carefully thinned? In a few years they would die from overcropping. Surely, this practice of the gardener might be imitated by the cultivator of orchards with good results. In the 'Gardener's Chronicle' of October 17th, 1857, page 712, the editor says, in answer to a correspondent: "Winter Apple Pruning. -When a tree of this kind has formed itself, it requires no other pruning in winter than the removal of weak wood, that should be cut clean out, and of shoots that cross and whip each other, of which an inch should be left at the bottom for the purpose of getting fruit spurs. Nothing ruins apple-trees more than excessive use of the knife. Wood that is too weak to form spurs ought always to be removed. Over pruning inevitably leads to the formation of barren wood instead of fruit spurs. Of course old and dead or exhausted spurs should be cut out; and if any shoot should be getting the better of others, it should be reduced to due proportions by the knife." After quoting such an authority, more under this head is unnecessary. MANURE AND MODE OF APPLICATION. Fruit trees in a young state should be supplied very sparingly with manure, unless the ground is very poor, and then it should be well decomposed, as strong fresh manure is injurious, and often causes canker in apples and pears, and gum in plums and cherries. If any is applied at planting time, it should be spread on the surface around the stem, to keep the surface soil cool during the hot weather; what is washed in by the rains will be sufficient food for the young tree. The It is not probable that an orchard will require much manuring during the first ten or fifteen years, unless it is cropped with vegetables; in that case it will require it every year. manure used should be stable manure well decomposed, not less than twelve months old, or decomposed night-soil four or five years old; a small quantity of this is sufficient, it being very powerful, and much superior to any artificial manure or guano, After ten or fifteen years the trees will most probably need some assistance, and I should then advise a good top-dressing every autumn of stable manure or night-soil, four or five years old, as before named. TIME AND MODE OF GATHERING. The proper time for gathering fruit will of course vary according to the different periods of ripening. The last week in September, or the first and second weeks in October, will usually be the proper time, though this of course will vary according to the season, whether it has been late or early. Early gathered fruit has this year kept better than that which was allowed to mature itself on the tree. The following extract from a paper by Mr. Rivers, in the 'Gardener's Chronicle' for February 8th, 1858, page 89, will be found interesting : "This season has been remarkable for the premature ripening of winter pears; the Winter Nelis, Beurre d'Aremberg, Easter Beurre, and even Beurre Ranee having ripened in November, or early in December. By mere accident, I hope I have discovered a method by which they will not 'ripe and rot' so early in the season as they often do. I had this autumn a very large collection of some hundreds of sorts from my specimen trees, in most cases only two or three dozens of each. As it was of consequence to watch the ripening of the new kinds, I had them placed on the front bench, formed of slates, in a leanto greenhouse near the dwelling-house; the pears were mostly gathered early in October, and, as the weather was warm and sunny, I had the glass over the bench covered with mats. The back bench was full of camellias, which often requiring water, the air of the house was warm, and at night moist. In very warm days, and there were many in October, the doors and ventilators were opened, to make the house less sultry. The early autumnal pears ripened very gradually and well; I observed many kinds ripened later than usual, but was not much struck with the fact. About the middle of November I had the mats removed from the glass, and directed one of my foremen to remove all the winter pears to the fruit-cellar, leaving all those that ought to ripen in November in the greenhouse, fully exposed to the light through the crown glass with which the lights are glazed. By accident some winter pears were left behind, and I was struck with the fact that Winter Nelis, Beurre d'Aremberg, and Passé Colmar pears (removed to my fruit-cellar, which is dry and airy, with an average temperature of 51°) were fully ripe by the end of November, while those left on the slate bench in the greenhouse were sound and hard. I became much interested in the matter, took notes of the sorts that ripened so slowly, and now find that the bulk of my Marie Louise pears from standards were sent to market fully ripe by the end of September; some specimens left in the greenhouse kept perfectly sound till the middle of December. Beurre Clairgean did not ripen till about the same time; Duchesse d'Angoulême kept till the first week in January; Beurre d'Aremberg and Winter Nelis have just ripened, and are in fine perfection; Passé Colmar are just beginning to soften. All have been of remarkably fine flavour, owing, as I presume, to their ripening slowly and in a warm atmosphere. I must confess that at first I was surprised and unable to account for this, but I recollected that in the warm parts of France the Easter Beurre, which so often ripens here prematurely, is preserved in high perfection till very late in the spring, and is in great estimation; and so I am induced to conclude that a greenhouse temperature, which is dry and warım during the day in sunny weather, is very favourable to the ripening of pears, and I assume that much watery juice is taken off by evaporation, for I observe that the pears do not shrivel, but their rinds become much harder and apparently thicker than those in the fruit-cellar, and their juice much more saccharine, To this concentration of the saccharine juice I venture to impute the long keeping of my greenhouse pears. "I hope to be able to pursue this interesting experiment, and fully intend to make my greenhouse, which is a lean-to, 60 feet long, with a brick Arnott stove in it to keep out frost, into a pear-house; and I trust that some of your readers will be induced to do something in the same way, so that we may fully ascertain if pears ripen better with light and warmth than in a cool dark fruitroom. I dare say this method is not new, for what have we 'new under the sun'? but I do not remember having read about keeping pears in a greenhouse, although I think there is some record in the Horticultural Society's transactions of the late Mr. Rich having kept apples under a handglass." The editor of the 'Gardener's Chronicle' adds in a note, that with this paper he received some excellent pears from Mr. Rivers, exactly answering to his description. Let us add that, while all our own apples rotted before Christmas, a solitary Reinette du Canada apple, left in a light, warm, dry room, underwent no change except shrivelling. How far this plan may answer for late fruit I cannot say; probably the spring sun as it gains power may dry the already half-ripe fruit too much, and it may probably be found that such fruits as ripen from March to June will come to maturity at that season better in the cool fruit-room than in the greenhouse. MODE OF GATHERING. All fruit should, if possible, be gathered by the hand, even when it is intended to be used for cider and perry, as the value is much depreciated when it is knocked off and bruised. Two men, with the assistance of a long ladder, will gather a large quantity in a day, one being employed in gathering and the other in receiving the full baskets, steadying the ladder, &c. Where the fruit is grown for profit, too much care cannot be taken in this process. The persons gathering should touch the fruit as little as possible; they will require baskets holding about half an imperial bushel each, and if the trees are large each man should be provided with a pulley fixed to the ladder, by which to draw up and lower down his baskets as soon as filled, and with a sufficient number of baskets to insure his having an empty one always ready whilst the full one is being taken away to be emptied. Fruit will not keep if bruised; and as apples and pears may be produced on table every day in the year, it is essential that care be taken in the process of gathering. If such care be taken, and the farmer have a fruit-room wherein to keep his stock in proper order, he will be enabled to take advantage of the best markets, and to sell when it is profitable to do so-to send his fruit properly kept and well matured, and to reap the benefit of his care by realising the highest prices; whilst his neighbours will have sold their fruit probably at a low price months before, or, if they have a little left, from bad gathering and bad keeping combined, the price they obtain for it will be so low, that the disparity should awaken the most sceptical, and make them turn from their indolent ways and be alive to their own interests. Another great objection to the practice of beating down apples and pears is, that by so doing a vast number of fruit spurs are broken off, and the crops of the succeeding years extensively injured. DISEASES, &C. Although not mentioned in the Prize Schedule, the following remarks are added, as they suggest practical appliances by one who has been growing fruit-trees for many years, and the recipes can be relied upon. The most formidable disease the cultivator has to contend with in apples and pears is the canker, a disease very similar in its action to the king's evil in the human frame, and, I believe, incurable, as it can be traced from the root to the top of the tree, and no pruning will eradicate it. The only plan is to allow the tree to bear as long as it is profitable, and when it will do so no longer, to root it out, and plant a fresh one of some kind not so liable to the disease. The American blight, or mealy bug, on the apple is the next formidable enemy. This can be cured if taken in time; it requires, however, great care and patience, as it will be sometimes found in the roots as well as in the branches. Should it reach the roots of a young tree, I believe the best plan is to destroy the tree, and take all the soil away and burn it, and refill the hole before planting again with fresh soil from some meadow free from the pest. Should it only appear on the branches or stem of the tree, the following remedy will be found infallible; as, however, this will only destroy what it touches, the trees will have to be looked over frequently to ascertain if any is still left: Spirits of tar pint to 2 quarts of water. The spirits of tar must be first mixed with soft soap into a lather, and the water added, as it will not mix with water alone. This should be applied with a paint-brush, taking care, however, not to touch the leaves with it. In large trees the following remedy may, if followed up, prove successful; ; it will, at any rate, materially check the spread of the bug:-Early in spring dig round the stem of the tree a trench 1 foot deep and 18 inches wide; fill this with soot fresh from the chimney and cover in with soil; then mix equal parts by measure of soot, lime, and cow-dung, with half the quantity of sulphur; add water sufficient to make it the consistency of paint; apply this carefully all over the tree, first scraping off the loose bark, for this harbours many insects. If this should not stop the progress of the bug, the only remedy will be to destroy the tree, as stated above. I feel quite convinced that all trees in orchards should have a dressing early in spring (i.e. some time in March) with some such composition as that mentioned above, first scraping off the lower bark, as it would kill a great number of insects that hide in the rough bark of the tree, if it did no other good. Was not the oldfashioned West of England plan of whitewashing the stem and branches within reach practised for some such purpose as this? I have often noticed it years ago, and it gave orchards a singular appearance in the spring of the year; but depend upon it our grandfathers had some good motive in doing this, for all useful things are not new. Green fly will sometimes attack the young shoots of apple-trees and also plum-trees, when in a young state. A little tobaccowater and soft-soap diluted with water will destroy this easily. Black fly on cherries is not so easily destroyed, and it takes considerable care to eradicate it. The following wash will be found effectual, if followed up; the first application may not destroy all the flies, and must therefore be repeated as often as necessary: 1 gallon of strong tobacco-water; Mix the soft soap and sulphur together before adding the tobaccowater, or the sulphur will not combine; then add 2 gallons of rain-water, if to be had, if not, water from the pump will do. Sometimes a small scale attacks the stems and branches of apple and pear-trees in poor land; a washing of soot, lime, &c., as before stated, with a little clay added to give it a body, and thinly painted over the stem of the tree, yet thick enough to cover the scale, will be found effectual for this. The fruit of apples for the last year or two has rotted on the tree in many places, and when gathered has decayed immediately: no cause has been discovered for this. The above includes most of the diseases to which orchardtrees are subject. The only other pest is moss on the stems and branches. A most excellent article appeared respecting this in the Gardener's Chronicle' for January 3rd, 1857, page 3, by a much more able pen than mine, and I cannot close this essay better than by giving it "in extenso :" "How am I to prevent moss growing on my apple-trees? Shall I scrape |