On Orchards. 221 



lowing winter. The ground being in clover remained 

 uncultivated for two years. The drought of the two 

 following summers killed many of the trees, and the 

 field mice which found a comfortable winter shelter de- 

 stroyed many more. The orchard did not flourish in 

 a manner which the goodness of the soil and my great 

 care led me to expect. I determined therefore to plough 

 it thoroughly, and to break in upon my established 

 course of crops for the purpose of recovering the trees 

 by cultivation. The event has fully answered my wish- 

 es ; the trees now flourish with uncommon vigour and 

 at present exhibit a promising appearance, being now 

 so large as to be completely established and out of dan- 

 ger. 



M. III. 



In the fall of 1803, I planted forty^five trees in a lot 

 adjoining to No. 2. The trees were not large, but the 

 ground being under constant cultivation they grew ra- 

 pidly. None of them (one excepted) died by the 

 drought of the following summer, which proved so de - 

 structive to their neighbours in the clover ground. It 

 was my observation of these trees which first led me to 

 change my mode of treating my young orchards. 



J\o. V. 



In the fall of 1804, 1 planted four hundred and eighty- 

 four trees in a clover field. The holes were dug four 

 feet wide, two spits deep ; the lower one thrown away, 

 and its place supplied by a compost manure, composed 

 of stable dung, a small portion of river mud and a large 

 proportion of lime, about a waggon load of the mixture 

 was applied to six trees ; in some instances it was mix^ 



