THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



an inferior quality thau poorer soils. Much of the 

 variation depends upon the management of the cider, 

 and must be considered separately from the present 

 subject, which is confined to tlie pi-odnction of fruit. 

 If the situation of the orchard exposes it to the wind, 

 smaller apples should be selected, as they remain on the 

 trees more firmly. 



There are regular opportunities for the purchase of 

 trees for orchards through nurserymen, and when this can 

 be done with men of character, it saves much trouble 

 and time. There are many reasons, however, why a 

 farmer should not be entirely dependent upon these 

 sources of supply. Of late years the varieties of cider 

 fruit have been very much neglected, and it seldom hap- 

 pens that a farmer can rely upon the sorts he purchases. 

 Besides this, where there is much orchard land, the 

 purchase of new trees becomes very expensive ; for 

 these reasons, amongst others, a farmer should be pre- 

 pared to raise his own fruit-trees, and I now proceed 

 to describe how he should do so. 



Carefully selected fruit of the sorts required should 

 be gathered as soon as fully ripe, and stored away care- 

 fully for one, two, or three months, until the fruit be- 

 comes perfectly mellow. The pips should then be taken 

 out and kept separate, and the sort plainly marked upon 

 each packet. In a well- prepared piece of garden 

 ground, the pips should be planted in February in rows 

 two feet apart, and about eight or nine inches wide in 

 the rows. In the following November let the plants 

 be taken up, all side-shoots trimmed, and cut off close 

 to the stock, and the roots shortened. They are then 

 planted in ground which has been double trenched, at 

 the distance of nine inches in the row and two feet be- 

 tween. In the following November they are to be 

 transplanted again ; the side-shoots within one foot of 

 the ground should be trimmed off close to the stem, and 

 those above shortened back a little. 



Here they remain for eighteen months, and during 

 this time the plant must have every opportunity of en- 

 larging its stem, and this will be most effectually done 

 by stopping the growth of any side shoot within one foot 

 of the ground, and by checking the growth of any very 

 fast growing branches above ; but this should not be 

 done except in cases of rapid growth, for a good covering 

 of leaves is calculated rather to feed than otherwise. 

 'At the expiration of this time (say in the months of 

 March or April) the head is to be cut off about one foot 

 from the ground, and then grafted. The original stem 

 is now known as the stock, whilst the graft is called the 

 scion. The scion is carefully fitted against the edge of 

 the stock, and both are bound with wet matting. After 

 this the parts are well covered with, graf ting clay, which 

 is made by beating together three parts of clay with one 

 part of horse-dung. Some persons prefer grafting upon 

 the crab stock, on account of its hardy character. It 

 is also said that they root more freely, and grow more 

 luxuriantly upon poorer soils than better varieties of 

 the apple. It is evidently very important to secure 

 hardy stocks, especially when climate and soil are not 

 very favourable. 



Great care is aecessary in the selection of grafts, for 



apart from the choice of variety, to which I have before 

 referred, there must also be judgment shown in securing 

 grafts which are in a vigorous state. This is necessarily 

 determined by the character of the parent plant. If this 

 is young, there is an energy of growth throughout the 

 tree ; whereas when it becomes old, there is a torpidity 

 of growth, and a feebleness of development, in which the 

 graft participates in common with other parts of the tree. 

 Many persons in selecting their grafts are indifferent 

 with respect to this, and much of the inferior fruit of 

 late years is to be traced to this. The grafts should, 

 therefore, be taken from trees of the variety required 

 whilst they are in their full vigour. 



I do not think we shall be far wrong in admitting 

 that as regards vigorous development we cannot rival 

 the earliest apples which were introduced into England; 

 and much of the degeneracy now observed has, no doubt, 

 resulted from neglect as to the quality of grafts used. 

 In my Prize Essay on the Farming of Devon, it is 

 stated that " After they are forty or fifty years of age, 

 few apple-trees are worth standing, although instances 

 are on record of orchards producing abundantly when 

 200 years old. The orchard of Buckland Priory, which 

 was one of the first planted in Devonshire, was in full 

 bearing and well stocked at this age." 



When the graft has made sufficient growth (say five 

 or six feet from the ground), it must be " headed back." 

 This will be done in the spring after the grafting, if the 

 soil is in good condition ; and has been kept free from 

 weed throughout the entire period of the plant's growth. 

 In the following autumn the trees may be removed, and 

 planted four feet apart. Any branches which make an 

 excessive growth should be checked, so as to allow the 

 tree to grow into a nice form. At six or seven years 

 old the tree will be ready for planting in an orchard. 



The ground having been prepared for the orchard, we 

 have first to mark out the positions of the trees. These 

 should be planted in rows ; but the distance between the 

 trees must be regulated by the climate and soil. If both 

 are favourable, then the trees will make a large growth, 

 and must have proportionately more room ; whereas, if 

 they are unfavourable, the distance must be decreased. 

 If shelter is required, then closer planting is desirable ; 

 whereas, if not needed, the greater width will admit the 

 sun and air more freely, and stimulate a more luxuriant 

 growth. For these reasons the distance between the 

 trees will vary from 25 feet apart, under unfavourable 

 circumstances, to 50 feet apart where these are favour- 

 able ; but 35 to 40 feet will be an ordinary width. 



The direction of the rows must depend upon local 

 climate. If the situation is exposed to strong and cold 

 winds, then the trees may run from S. E. to N.W., and 

 some hardy sorts be planted for meeting the wind. 

 This direction also allows the sun to penetrate the trees 

 most fully. 



The position of the trees being marked upon the 

 ground, we have to prepare for their planting. A cir- 

 cular pit, six feet across, should be dug 18 inches deep, 

 around the spot marked for the tree ; and into the 

 bottom of this pit some turf, or similar matter, should 

 be thrown, so »9 to give a good foundation for the tre«. 



