4 DECLINE OF ENGLISH ORCHARDS. 



This great prosperity of the Orchards was not destined to 

 continue for any lengthened period. Agriculture was soon called 

 upon with greater urgency to meet the want of the more essential 

 articles of food, and it became more profitable to produce corn and 

 cattle ; thus the chief attention of the farmer was drawn from his 

 fruit trees and was given to these objects. Orchards are uncertain 

 in their yield ; the fruit requires much care and attention, and with 

 all this, a good season is as necessary for superior Cider and Perry, 

 as it is for fine Wines ; whereas the grain crops are much more to 

 be depended upon, and the area of their production is practically 

 without limit. 



The farmers grew rich, their farms kept increasing in size, and 

 the attention given to their Orchards became less and less, until, at 

 last, they begun to be looked upon sometimes as a nuisance. This 

 neglect, as years went on, became disastrous ; failing trees had their 

 places supplied by any worthless varieties at hand ; little care was 

 given to the management of the fruit, or to the making of the 

 liquor, beyond the two or three hogsheads required for the house- 

 hold use. Then, year by year, enormous quantities of Cider and 

 Perry of a very indifferent quality were produced, and, as the 

 natural consequence of this deterioration, they could only be sold 

 at prices less and less worthy of consideration. They were, there- 

 fore, given the more freely to the labourers on the farm, inducing 

 habits of indolence and intemperance, and, as a matter of 

 course, lessening their wages. 



The quantity produced was far too great to be consumed 

 locally, and hence arose the need of the " Cider Merchants," 

 "Cider-men," or "buyers of sale liquors," as they were called at the 

 end of the last century, who bought up everything by wholesale, 

 and almost at their own prices. There can be no question but that, 

 with some honourable exceptions, these " middlemen " have done 

 more damage to the just reputation of Cider and Perry than all 

 other causes put together. In ordinary seasons many thousands of 

 hogsheads passed through their hands, and were submitted to 

 various processes, calculated rather to destroy than to regulate 

 proper fermentation. The liquor was fined, flavoured and fortified 



