ALONG THE ROADSIDE. 277 



driven through the village of Peppcrell within the last fifteen 

 years without experiencing pleasurable emotions through the 

 aspect produced by the lines of maples which shade the streets, i 

 Other places are equally noticeable. 



Some farmers who have numerous acres in other places, plant 

 fruit-trees along the fences by the public highway. The expe- 

 diency of such a course was never apparent to us, because there 

 are two serious objections to it, viz. : It is tempting people to 

 break the eighth commandment ; and many such trees, when 

 large and bearing, prove to be much in the way. Loaded teams 

 breaking branches and prematurely shaking down the fruit, is 

 no uncommon occurrence. A public highway should not be 

 thus or otherwise infringed upon. Set appropriate shade and 

 ornamental trees close up to the fences on the roadside, and the 

 fruit-trees where the branches will not hang over the streets. 



Open and bleak situations are in large measure unsuited to 

 the growth and bearing of fruit, from the fact that trees thus 

 exposed are liable to assume a leaning position, rendering them 

 less capable of supporting great weight, and increasing the 

 danger of being uprooted, with the additional drawback of hav- 

 ing much of the crop threshed off before maturity. If the 

 selection of a more favorable location is impracticable, plant at 

 once belts of forest trees near the skirts of such orchard that is 

 to be, in such manner that the force of strong currents shall 

 thereby be broken. The better location for an orchard of apple 

 trees is a side-hill or gentle slope, considerably elevated above 

 the bed of streams and frosty hollows, and protected on the 

 north and west sides by still higher grounds or by forests. No 

 damage will arise, but rather beneficial results, from protection 

 on all sides. 



Newly-cleared land is preferable for this purpose, because 

 such soils contain more of the ingredients which enter into and 

 nourish the growing trees than old land, so called, without much 

 preparation and continual care being bestowed upon the latter. 

 If land for this purpose is taken, from which a heavy growth of 

 oak or other hard wood has been recently cleared, apple trees 

 will thrive for many years with less than half the attention and 

 dressing that will be requisite to produce the same results on an 

 old field. If rocks abound in the soil, no detriment will accrue 

 to the growth or bearing qualities of the trees from that source, 



