314 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 
should ascertain from a careful inspection and inquiry in the neighbourhood what 
fruits were congenial to the soil, and confire himself, of course, to those sorts. 
There was no certain rule to be laid down on the subject. Some districts were 
most suitable for the apple, others for the pear, others for different kinds of plums 
or damsons ; and sometimes in one tield the soil varied so much as to make it desi- 
rablz to plant one variety of fruit at one end of it and a different one at the other. 
Next came the question whether the landlord or the tenant should plant; if the 
latter, would it pay him to plant on a seven, fourteen, or on a twenty-one years’ 
lease ? and if he left at the end of these terms, what compensation should he 
receive, and from whom should he receive it—from the landlord or the incoming 
tenant ? He was of opinion that the best arrangement would be for the tenant to 
plant, and for the landlord to undertake to pay, at the end of the lease, the cost 
price of all trees left in healthy condition, and interest upon the outlay at five per 
cent, per annum. Fruit planting was profitable both to landlord and tenant if 
properly done, and the sorts well selected. The advisableness of planting young 
fruit-trees in a hedgerow must depend a good deal on the age and strength and 
nature of the hedge. If it was of old vigorous quick, the roots would 
probably have taken such entire possession of the soil that a stock newly intro- 
duced into it would ouly lead a sort of languishing existence for several years, 
perhaps, and then die away. But if anyone wished to try the experiment, he 
would recommend him to plant wild stocks, and graft them with the sorts desired. 
If a hedge were being planted, there would be no such difficulty ; the fruit-trees 
should have the same chance as the quick, and both would grow up side by side 
together. This plan would be worth trying, or, indeed, the first-mentioned, pro- 
vided the hedge was between two arable fields. If it were between two grass fields, 
or with a grass field even on one side, the adyantage would be questionable ; ‘for 
the cattle, in trying to get at the fruit—of which they are very fond—would pro- 
bably do as much harm in breaking the fences as would be covered by the profit of 
the fruit. Some damage, too, would unavoidably be done to the hedge in the 
gathering of the fruit. Planting an orchard on turf was comparatively expensive, 
which was a point requiring to be taken into account. A good deal of labour was 
required to do it well, and if it was not done well, it was better not attempted at 
all. On the whole, it was questionable whether it would pay to plant an orchard 
on turf, except on some banky, sloping fields, with a south aspect, which seemed 
specially adapted to the purpose. Then came the third alternative, which seemed 
to him the most desirable: to plant an orchard on a well-fenced piece of arable, as 
near as may be to the house, and from which cattle of all kinds are to be entirely 
excluded. Here it might be done at much less expense, as no protection would be 
required except against ground game. Supposing an acre to be square, 209 by 209 
feet, it might be cultivated in two ways: (1) by planting standard fruit-trees in 
rows, thirty feet apart, and filling up the space between with rows of plums and 
bushes ; (2) by standards—apples, pears, and cherries, by plums or damsons, by 
bushes, currants (either black or red), and gooseberries. According to this plan the 
whole field would have to be cultivated with the spade, and would take pretty well 
the whole time of one man if it were three or four acres in extent. What was 
called ‘ pot fruit’? was required now as a rule. ‘The apples and pears which paid 
best were those which came in earliest, and which kept latest. These last probably 
brought the highest price. But when the cost of storage and of picking over had 
been deducted, he doubted if they paid so well as the first. If they were going to 
buy trees, let them go to the nurseries themselves, select and mark the trees to be 
sent in planting season. They were not necessarily to pick out the biggest, but 
rather vigorous, healthy young stocks, which showed no sign of having been 
checked or stunted in their growth. They should not go in for too many varieties 
of fruit. On his three acres he had more than 100 sorts of pears, forty of apples, 
thirty of plums, to say nothing of currants and gooseberries. From his own point 
of view this variety was necessary; for he was experimenting to see what sorts 
would best suit the locality and pay the best; but to farmers this endless variety 
would be very troublesome, especially if the specimens were dotted about in dif- 
ferent parts. The best plan, if they were planting a hedgerow, was to plant it all 
with one sort of fruit. Then, one going over the ground, or at most two gatherings, 
sufficed, and a vast deal of labour and confusion were saved. So, too, in orchards 
whether on turf or arable. If they had several sorts, let them keep each sort in a 
