ORCHARDS 



Orchard, in horticulture, is a tract of land appropriated 

 to the growth of standard fruit trees, with a view to furnish a 

 supply of the most useful kinds of fruit. 



Orchards are sometimes confined to the cultivation of 

 apples, peaches, pears, cherries, or other particular fruit, 

 especially if they are situated in the vicinity of railroads, canals, 

 towns, or cities ; more frequently, however, they are com- 

 posed of all the trees before mentioned, with a double propor- 

 tion of those bearing apples, which, doubtless, are the most 

 plentiful and valuable fruit that may be easily preserved 

 during the whole year. It is also the custom, when standard 

 apple trees are planted from 30 to 33 feet apart, to place two 

 dwarf trees at equal distances between them. 



The utility of a general orchard, both for domestic use and 

 the sale of its production, is evident to the most superficial 

 observer, independently of the beautiful appearance it presents, 

 from an early period in the spring to late in the autumn, .... 

 we shall, therefore, give some directions from ^^ractical writers 

 and actual experience on the proper management of this most 

 important department of economy. 



I.— EXTENT, SITUATION AND SOIL. 



The extent of an orchard should be in proportion to that of 

 arable land, and the quantity of fruit required either for pri- 

 vate use or the supply of the public market ; so that the planta- 

 tion may consist of from half an acre to twenty acres. As, 

 however, there are many friends of horticulture whose posses- 

 sions confine them to a small compass, and who, nevertheless, 

 wish to practice this useful art on a systematic plan, we have 

 subjoined a cut in which the proper place of each tree is accu- 

 rately represented, and the most valuable fruit trees are dis- 

 tinctly pointed out. 



