THE GARDEN.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IX, Issue 442, 30 September 1881, Page 25

THE GARDEN.

A loamy 6oil of medium texture, as it is called, that is to say, a crumbly soil of rather an unctuous character, is that in which the pear may be most successfully grown ; and this should be well drained and pulverised, and if resting on an under stratum of a gravely nature so much the better. But though this may be regarded as the best soil that could be secured, yet almost any soil, with a proper and careful preparation, will support the pear-tree in good •^pealth, and enable it to produce fair crops of fruit. When the preparation of the soil is spoken of, such a preparation as that afforded to the peach and nectarine is by no means intended nor required. Tho pear-tree, though it may be in some degree benefited by a thorough renovation of the soil, does not actually require euch a

preparation ; its more hardy nature and constitution is sufficiently provided for when the main features of the natural soil are altered, either by the addition or subtraction of whatever may be necessary to adapt it to pear culture. Soils of a light and more sandy texture than those which are to be recommended for the cultivation of the pear are, as we have seen, unsuitable, from their allowing the fertilising properties of the rain and of manure to pass away too readily, and from their favouring the abstraction of moisture from the soil to a too great extent by evaporation ; in a word they starve the plants. Such soils are to be improved by the addition of heavy loam, approaching to clay in sufficient quantity, according to the degree of lightness and sandiness in the soil, to render it to a certain extent retentive of moisture. The light and heavy soils should be intermixed and blended together as perfectly as possible in order that the full advantage may be experienced. Soils of this nature seldom require any artificial drainage, the natural texture and composition of the Bub-soil being such aa to admit sufficiently freely the percolation of moisture. If the situation should happen to be a low, damp one, it ought, however, to be drained in the ordinary way. On the other hand, heavy, close and "adhesive soils, approaching to clay, which for the most pars rest on a sub-soil of clay, require not only the melioration of the surface by the addition of silica or sand, but require also the greatest care and attention in draining and sub-soiling in order to prevent the stagnation of moisture beneath the prepared surface. On such soils as these the recommendation to plant high will be especially applicable ; for it is under such circumstances that the roots become injured by deep planting, which is far less felt on light and porous soils. The addition of sand or any substance containing a considerable portion of gritty matter, is for the purpose of its becoming intermixed with and disintegrating the aluminous particles, by which means the whole mass in process of time becomes friable and easily worked. This advantage, for the most part, is simply mechanical ; but it is an advantage of great importance. Other substances, such as wood ashes, charcoal dust or lumps of charcoal, brick dust or charred rubbish of any kind, or even burnt clay, would improve the texture of the soil very much ; but as these are scarcely so permanent in their effects as the sand or grit, where it can be procured, it should be used first, and then any of the others may be added to complete the process of melioration. The processes of draining and subsoiling require to be carefully performed. With regard to drainage, the general system of drains, with which a garden ou^ht ever to be furnished, will be sufficient. No garden ought to be formed, or if formed, it should not be suffered to remain without a thorough system of drains, sufficiently numerons to carry off all superabundant moisture from the soil. If this is not done as part of a general system, it ought, at least to be done before fruit trees are planted. The nature of the soil must regulate the kind of drain. In a clay soil a depth of three or four feet will be most effective ; in lighter soil it is not necessary to go so deep. Subsoiling, that is to say, trenching up the layer beneath the surface soil, must be done cautiously. If it be of a gravelly nature it is less important that it should be disturbed at all ; but if of clay it should be broken up and loosened— by no means, however, should it be brought to the surface; and the object in breaking through it is simply to facilitate drainage. Almost all soils are deep enough beneath the surface for the growth of fruit trees, so that whatever fresh soil is added should be made to raise the border above the general level, keeping all the good soil near the top, and allowing the crude subsoil still to remain beneath. In ordor to prevent the roots from penetrating so readily into the lightened substratum, the bottom of the good soil should rest on a layer of coarse material, placed m pretty nrmly, but yet so as to allow the downward passage of the water. Immediately beneath the plants, in the centre, paving tiles are sometimes used to prevent the roots striking downwards, and some hard material in this situation is, no doubt, beneficial for the purpose. The application or use of ordinary manures, to any extent at least, is hardly justifiable under the circumstances of the case. The soil would either naturally or artificially be rendered of such a texture and composition as to be made suitable for the growth ©f the pear ; and in most cases of this kind, the use of such materials as charred earth, refuse, or wood, or wood ashes, would impart fertility enough to secure a very healthy and satisfactory growth. Under these circumstauces the trees would grow with vigour, but not luxuriantly; and whilst they possessed strength of constitution they would avoid grossness or apparent strengtli,,which is in effect real weakness. The benefit and uses of manures are to supply certain properties and matters which have been extracted from the soil by the plants during their growth, and also chemical action of their component parts, to decompose and render soluble certain ingredients in the soil, which would otherwise be unavailable to the roots of the plants.— Dublin I Freeman,

The official organ oE the Vatican, the Osscvatore Romano, was sequestrated on Monday night for, as the official act states, having committed an offence against the person of the Sapreme Pontiff in printing those portions of the discourse delivered publicly by Alberto Mario in which he accused the Pope of having deliberately lied, and the resolution proposed, which urged the occupation of the p o?tifical palaces, offences gravely injurious to the person of the Pontiff, and for which penal action is to be taken against the publibher. It 8 unnecessary to remark," says the Osservatore Romano,' that _our copy was sequestrated, not because we committed any offence against the person of the Pontiff, but becaus 3 we faithfully reported the obscenities the blasphemies, and the insults which were for several hours shouted with impunity in a public theatre ; J because we g ave the names of all concerned ; and because, while the authorities, on the one hand, permit the Supreme Pontiff to be thus insulted they pretend, on the other, that his children throughout the^ world shall be kept in ignorance of what occurred." The Lombard**, the Secolo, the Pungolo, the Cornere delta Sera, the Ragwne, and other provincial papers have aUo been sequestrated.