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number of trees, accor 'ing to their fancy, and mark them in pairs, as to their age, freeness, of growth, and other circumftances, fuitable to trial, prune and manure one, and leave the other in the ftate of nature; but, for experiment, do not prune two trees, ftanding next to each other, in the fame year, when the pre-eminence of the practice will foon appear:-fuch a mode is bringing orcharding to a fair trial; and, it I had been fo prudent as to have managed my trees alternately, two-thirds of the growers in Eaft Kent would have acquired the fcience before this time. It may appear that I argue this fubject too ftrongly; but, when we recollect that the fociety has been thirty years engaged, and fhewn moit anduous and laudable exertions, aled by many high premiums, to afe rtain the comparative advan tages of the drill and broad-caft husbandry, we mult ceafe to wonder that the fcience of orcharding has not made greater progrefs.

"It is recommended, that the rows of trees fhould not ftand north and fouth, but a point of the Compaís town ds the caft, as the fun will then he up the rows foon after ten o'clock, which, in the fpring of the year, will ferve to dinipate the vapours collected in the night: thefe vapours ftunt the fruit in the early ftages of its growth; and, where the flaws are properly attended to, this pofition will beft enable them to divide and blunt the power of the winds, and prevent blights, and the fhaw might be a little brought over the fouth: but, as each fituation has a predominant wind, this is only hinted to put the planter upon his guard: the fhaw alfo will greatly protect the fruit from the feverity of the autumnal winds, at which feafon half the

crop of fruit is thrown from the tree before it is ripe; and the heads at that time of the year being loaded with fruit and leaves, many trees are actually torn out of the ground, or fo lacerated as to be poiled, which a proper flaw might prevent. Judicious fhelter fhould be the first object thought of in forming an orchard on a large scale,

"Had I been poffeffed of ground near my own dwelling, I fhould ten years ago have planted an extensive experimental orchard it would have given me much pleafure; but there is no land attainable; and experiments cannot well be conduct. ed at a distance, to any great credit, where the only object is to raise emulation by way of example.

"When I pruned the trees in my orchards, at Sittingbourne, in the year 1790, they being young, I cut freely, for they were greatly incumbered and decaying, and half the wounds were made by taking off the ftumps, and, cutting down the cankers and gum, as certificates. fully prove (N. A. R. for 1793. p. [173]); and I was certain the trees would be greatly improved by the pruning: but I muft mention they have not been touched fince, left any person who may examine the orchard by way of obfervation, might confound the former and new wounds together,

"Let no one be afraid of the expence, for that is trivial; fourpence-halfpenny per tree once in three years would overpay it, after the trees have been brought into order, if the mafter would only take care they are kept clean, and the cafual accidents duly attendedto. According to my ideas, the age of a tree is not to be confider ed; for the judgment must be taken from the energy and freeness of growth, as many trees are in a 14

more

more declining state at fixteen years than others at an hundred. Since I have mentioned comparative age, obferve, from fixteen to twenty, is a critical time for the delicate fruits: if they continue in health beyond that period, they generally go on well afterwards; and, upon fome future occafion, I fhall introduce root-pruning.

"Were it neceffary more fully to enforce the practice of pruning, fuppofe an or ler was given, that all peach-trees fhould remain unpruned for five years from thence be affured, there would fcarcely be a high-flavoured peach in the king dom, all either. four or infipid. The apple or cherry do not require the fame care the peach does; yet each are well worthy of attention. I obferved, in Vol. XII. (N. A. R. for 1794, p. [145]) that funfhine and fhade are unalterably the cause of sweet and four fruits.' "Thofe acquainted with the wine countries know, that the natives bestow much labour in manure, culture, pruning, and more particularly in bringing the grapes to perfect ripenefs; and I do not fee why, in Britain, fome part of that attention fhould not be given to the apple.

"It is proper here to recommend to nurserymen,, to be attentive to their GRAFTS, for more depends upon it that is imagined; as, from the grafts being full, well wooded, clear, and properly chofen, the fruit will be both larger and higher flavoured. Though the foil and culture may be the fame, the health of the wood of the tree is alfo moft materially affected during the whole time of the tree's exift. ence, by the proper maturity the fcion was in at the time it was firft put into the stock.

"As this is to be my last effay,

I wish to fend it out as perfect as I can, and beg excufe for the great length. Let any perfon, whofe mind has, by precept, been turned to philofophical enquiries, confider the following statement: when an orchard has become old and much encumbered, fo that the trees, from being too thick, totally overshade the ground, if one of thofe trees dies, the four next surrounding it will each of them throw out their branches to fill up that void space; the fap of thofe four trees tending that way by the active influence of the fun and air, and the other parts of thofe trees ftill remaining incumbered, will of confequence decline in vegetation; for the energy is drawn the contrary way. These things happen every day, but on the unobferving eye make little impreffion. This intuitive energy of nature is not confined to vegetation, for it pervades all nature: then why not fuppofe, if a part of a tree is decayed, and you take it out, that nature is capable of filling up the void fpace: that he is capable, is most undoubted, and the will do it too, if there is any energy left, by fupplying younger and better-bearing wood than that which is taken away.

"Where the trees are fo clofe and incumbered, that the agricultural vegetation cannot thrive under them, the fruit from fuch an orchard will hardly be large and highflavoured; neither will it keep fo well.

"Laft autumn, the delicate fruittrees were much incommoded with a whitish mould or mildew, which I have regularly obferved to take place in what is called muggy weather; this is what lays the first foundation of canker; it was very prevalent about feven years back. I have long known it to arise from

animal

animalculæ fettling on the wounded parts of the tree, and the fhoots of the prefent year. In Vol. XIII. (N. A. R. for 1796, p. [177.]) I pointed out the cure, which is rubbing off with the lard medication; and I recommend to have the fhoots cut at a large bud; for, when they have been thus affected, there are but few of them will stand the cold of the winter: they generally die off about half way up. I have formerly quite removed the canker from fome nonpareils, which, after three years medication, threw out fhoots a yard long: this induced me to fay, that the mercury gave an energy to the plant; I mean, by the mercury curing the difeafe, the plant recovered its energy: any one may fatisfy himfelf that it is animalculæ, by rubbing a little of the mildew between his thumb and fore finger, when the infects actually break, and produce a matter like the cochineal fly (coccus mali).

Another circumftance worthy obfervation is, the custom of attempting to check the too great flow of the fap, particularly in pear-trees, by cutting a circle through the bark, with the intention to make the tree fruitful; much better would it be, by natural means, to lead the fap regularly through all the branches; the action of the fun would then properly impel it to the extreme parts of the tree, for fwelling the buds, and fupporting the fruit; and this even flow of fap is what produces fruitfulness, and is implied, [N. A. R. for 1793, p. [171.]) the more the range of branches fhoot circularly, the more equally will the fap be diftributed, and the better will the tree bear.'

"Let me entreat those interested in fruit plantations, to unite in eftablishing and exalting the fcience

of orcharding, to make it one of the handmaids of commerce: it is certainly the poor man's friend, the rich man's pleature, the pride and ornament of the refpective fpots attached to each habitation. View the trees in fpring unfolding and raising their beautiful bloffoms and leaves up to the eye of heaven, and in autumn gently bending their pliant branches for the industrious hand to gather the fruits. Do not wonder that I fhould fhew a little enthufiafin for the welfare of a fcience which I have actually created, and from which I have received much fatisfaction.

"The ancients had their goddess Pomona, to whom they paid divine honours, which goddefs was no other than an ideal fuperintendency fuppofed to prefide over orchards; which is a moft convincing proof that they held the culture of fruits in high eftimation.

"Through the whole process I have confined my inftructions to ftandard trees; but now fay, they are equally applicable to fruits in general, even to the hawthorn, whofe bloffoms in fpring, and fruit for the birds in autumn, make it worth fome attention in parks, and fuch plautations.

"For the full establishment of the art, nothing more is neceffary, than to gain two or three capital land-owners in each district, who occupy their own eftates, and influence them to examine the fyftem, and follow it, from which much improvement muft refult. In every fcience the principles must be underftood before the practice can become general. I am, fir,

"Your most humble fervant, "T. SKIP DYOT BUCKNALL." "Hampton Court, "Fan. 6, 1796.”

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In AccoUNT of the DRAINAGE of a MARSH near MARAZION, in CORNWALL, formerly overflown by the Sea, and looked upon as irreclaimable, but now in a State of Cultivation.

[From the fame Work.]

N purchafing the leafehold

ON

of an eftate near Marazion, in Cornwall, confitting of about two hundred acres, I found feventy in a state of good cultivation, and one hundred and thirty acres of wafte land, confifting of marsh, croft, and fandy foils. I flattered myfelf, that a great part of this unprofitable fpot might be converted into ufeful and valuable land, which, in this neighbourhood, in the common ftate of cultivation, is worth from three to fix pounds the Cornish acre (about one fifth part larger than statute measure). From a profpect of recovering that part called the Marth, which had hitherto been accounted irreclaimable, I laid down a plan of draining the fame, which, if I fucceeded in, might probably induce the proprietors of other tracts of marth land in this vicinity, to make fimilar attempts.

"The novelty of my draining fcheme, with its attendant difficulties, joined to the great diflike which most farmers in the weft of England have to the improvement of low lands, drew on me the cenfure of the public, who treated the fcheme as chimerical, and impoffible to be effected for the following reafons:

"First-Because the fea had ac-
cefs to this land, and overflow
ed it at fpring tides with two
feet water;
"Secondly-If the fea were ex-
cluded, the fresh water would
be accumulated, and ftill keep
it in the late of a bog, as the

water had no other vent than by its direct communication with the fea; and, "Thirdly-That if the fuccefs in the drainage fhould be equal to my most fanguine expectations, yet the nature of marth land, in general, would not admit of any valuable inprovement.

"however cogent these reasons might appear to the public, I was convinced that they arofe more from the want of a spirit of enterprife, and little knowledge of the nature of fuch foils, than froma a decided conviction of the failure of the plan; and, on confidering the advantages likely to refult from the improvement, in cafe of fuccefs, and the example given to my country. men, who poffefs fimilar tracts of marthland, I was emboldened to undertake the drainage of this.bog, which for time immemorial had been looked on as utterly irreclaimable.

"The spot fixed on for the intended improvement, confifted of fixty-three acres, ftatute measure; of which thirty-fix acres were marsh; feventeen acres of a light blackisa fand, and ten acres of croft, confifting of a light black mould, with a fubftratum near the furface, of a fine tenacious clay. The croft and fandy land lay on a rifing ground, ferving as a furrounding fkirting to the marsh, and which, from their gentle elevations, might be ufeful in rainy feasons for cattle to refort to.

"On confidering that the most

fertile

fertile foils confift of a combination of clay, fand, and vegetable matter, in different proportions, and that the fo three fubitances were almoft diftinct, and to be procured in any quantity from this improvable ipot, it appeared probable that, after a complete drainage was performed, little more remained to be effected, than a happy combina. tion of these three fois, fo contiguous to each other, to render the whole good and productive land.

"The marsh, containing thirtyfix acres, is fituated between the croft and the fandy foil, which has been thrown up by the fea, and ferves as a natural embankment against the water, which at every fpring-tide overflowed this lowland to the height of two or three feet, by a direct communication of a river which carries off a part of the redundant water collected on its furface, from its own fprings and others in its vicinity, and the rain from the higher grounds.

"This marth, from time immemorial, has produced nothing but rushes, flags, gofs (arundo phragmitis), iis paluri, water-lily, and feveral other aquatic plants, which, from their verdure, ferved only as a decoy for cattle, that were frequently fmothered in attempting to reach them, to the great lofs and injury of the tenants. Several perfons alfo have loft their lives by getting at night into this morafs, over which boats have frequently paffed to enable fportfmen to fecure the game, which flocked to this place in great quantities during winter. From the production of marth miafmata, fevers of the low nervous kind, but particularly agues, have greatly prevailed, to the annoyance and distress of the neighbourhood.

"The great and unfuperable dif

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ficulty, which hitherto prevented even an attempt towards the draining this bog, arofe from its being under the level of the tea at fpringtides; fo that no deeper outlet could, be procured than the river, which fupplied it with filt-water. But, on confidering the nature of water, which preffes equally on every fide, I fufpected that a pipe, with a valve at its extremity, introduced at halfebb, through the fandy embankment, to the body of the marsh, would tend to carry off the furfacewater; and, from the frutting of the valve, on the approach of the tide, no fea-water could gain admittance through the tube, On taking an accurate furvey of the levels from the fea, at the point of half-ebb, to the furface of the. ground in the marfh, meafuring in length one hundred and feventyfour yards, it was found that fix feet of level could be gained, after allowing two feet for the flowing of the water through the pipe; accordingly, an embankment of, one thoufand one hundred and feventyfive yards in length, formed of frong clay turf, about five feet high and fix feet thick, was made round the two fides of the n arfh, which were able to be overflown by the fea; the ditch ferving as a channel to carry off the water, which used to flow over its furface. In order to carry off the water ftill remaining on the marfh, I procured one hundred and seventy-four yards of fquare pipe, nine inches diameter and two inches thick, made of found fir-wood called balk, which, in the mines of this county, is the wood moft commonly made use of, and found to be very durable, efpecially if kept conftantly in water.

"In May, 1793, the first pipe was laid down on the fhore, at the point of half ebb, and fecured by

means

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