624 



ORCHARD 



Too often the orchard Is treated with contempt, 

 as a space where the children, turkeys, calves, 

 or pigs may roam at pleasure ; and if there are any 

 apples they are regarded as a windfall of some 

 rarity. This is not as it ought to be. Orchards 

 were laid out at a time when there was room 

 enough to move freely, and people knew less 

 than they seem to know now. Accordingly we 

 find on these old trees either no fruit at all, or 

 very little, and of that the chief part worthless. 

 There is no greater puzzle to the farmer or squire 

 fanning his own land than the sad condition of his 

 orchard and his own deep ignorance about it. 

 Amid the more important works the trees have 

 too often lieen neglected ; and the space which 

 should yield its fair share of profit, as well us of 

 picturesque enjoyment, has liecomc a frowsy wilder- 

 n.--. 



Much of the blame for this would fall on those 

 who are now beyond it. Seldom indeed can we 

 find an orchard planted by our ancestors with any 

 common sense or judgment The trees have been 

 placed there anyhow, without any knowledge of 

 their habit, growth, fertility, use, or requirements. 

 And for this the nurserymen of that time must also 

 be held accountable, their ignorance of their own 

 produce having been equal to that of their cus- 

 tomers. In this particular a vast advance has been 

 made in the last half century, and the planter of 

 an orchard now has himself to thank if he plants 

 amiss. For of late years it has been imagined 

 largely that profit, equally 8|>eedy and heavy, can 

 be secured very pleasantly by the growth of fruit 

 in Britain. In spite of all experience this may 

 be so, as we find the laws of nature overcome now 

 and then by superhuman effort. And when every- 

 thing comes to pass exactly as it should, the 

 orchard takes occasion sometimes to pay its way. 

 With a view towards this we may consider first the 

 formation and planting of an orchard ; secondly, 

 the renewal of an old and not too hale plantation. 



( I ) Situation and soil are the first two questions, 

 the former being even the more im|>ortant in the 

 colder parts of liritain. A slope towards the south 

 or south-east is best of all ; but if that cannot be 

 found a fair level will do, unless it be in the bottom 

 of a valley or too near some broad river. A damp 

 situation is always liad ; and especially evil is the 

 spot though it may lie the warmest in summer 

 where the fog of the morning draws ami packs from 

 the marshes or from a tidal river. For the worst 

 of all enemies to British fruit is the late spring 

 frost, which settles chiefly in the valley or along 

 the plain : whence the bleak hillside is often fruitful 

 when the sheltered dale is barren. Also the soil 

 must be fairly good, neither too sandy nor of very 

 heavy clay. W hen the site has been chosen the 

 ground should be trenched to the depth of two feet 

 if possible, and drainage provided where needful, as 

 in all but the most favoured s|x>tt it is. Time for 

 settlement should lie. allowed after the trenching; 

 and then the stations may lie prepared for the 

 standard-trees. The distance from tree to tree ami 

 row to row ought to be governed by the choice of 

 kinds, and this again depends upon the object of 

 tli" planter. He may plant for home use, or for 

 vale, or for both ; ami in either case for table use 

 or for cider. If he plants for his own tnble use 

 lie it for cooking or dessert his chief concent is 

 quality combined with fair fertility. If he plants 

 for market he must first consider productiveness 

 and appearance and the common opinion of his 

 MichMubood ; for if he took into the market 

 the l>et apple ever grown, but as yet of no reputa- 

 tion, he would have to take it home again until 

 the tree* grew old. Also, he would rather sell 

 good fruit than bad ; but generally speaking this 

 U difficult without much self-sacrifice. For the 



finer kinds are, with few exceptions, less fertils 

 than the inferior. Hut whatever his objects I..'. 

 and whatever varieties he selects, the planter must 

 ! guided by the habit of the trees as to the space 

 allowed them. It is better to allow too much room 

 than t<>o little ; and in a plantation intended to en- 

 dure, !fc> feet from tree to tree is not one too many. 

 The ]>ermanent trees should be straight standards, 

 worked upon the crab-stork, and with 6 feet of 

 stem from the root to the spread of the branches. 

 Let them be planted almost npon the surface, then 

 banked up with good soil, and staked securely, 

 until they can hold their own against the wind. 

 Of pruning little or none is required during the 

 first year of their growth, except that any weak 

 shoot' should be cut out, or rival to the leader 

 repressed at once, if the tree is to be carried up in 

 conical form. No manure should be given as yet, 

 unless it lie in the way of mulching, where the soil 

 is very droughty, When all the standards are 

 planted and slaked, and seen to 'cut true,' as 

 gardeners term it, both along and across the rows, 

 the temporary crop may 1* planted among them, 

 whether of dwarf-trees, or of hushes, vegetables, 

 clover, or anything else; but a clear space must 

 be reserved at all times of at least a yard around 

 the orchard-tree. Anil throughout the next year 

 the young plantation must be heeded frequently, 

 disfmited (if any rash produce form), watered in 

 case of protracted drought, restakcd or relnmnd if 

 any break loose, and watched that no grub or other 

 vermin liore the slender stem, or injure bark, 

 branch, or foliage. In the second year judicious 

 pruning will lie needed, for which see our article 

 on that subject. The ground between the trees 

 mav lie cropped with grass or clover (not allowed 

 to become too long ), which can be broken up for 

 the purpose of manuring, and at other times saves 

 the dropping fruit from braises. With regard to 

 varieties it is quite impossible to offer useful advice 

 without a knowledge of each special case. If the 

 planter is providing for his own household he 

 generally knows what suits it best and belits the 

 situation. If he grows for market he can have 

 recourse to the counsel of some good nurseryman 

 acquainted with the neighbourhood, its wants and 

 suitabilities ; ho will probably find his trees true to 

 name, clean, well grown and healthy ; for in no 

 line of business bos there been more advance during 

 the last half-century than in that of the nursery- 

 man. 



(2 ) With regard to the renewal of an ancient fruit- 

 grove or the way to make the liest of it, any one 

 coming into possession or management of a decrepit 

 orchard may wisely allow one fruiting season to 

 show what good there is in it. All trees of valuable 

 kind may then be marked for better cultivation, 

 while the rest are divided into those worth grafting 

 and those that are worthy of the domestic health ; 

 and the last will perhaps be more numerous. The 

 trees that have goodness or beaut v of fruit, with 

 vigour sufficient to carry it, should at once be re- 

 lieved of all moss and decay, straggling or worn-out 

 or ill placed members, or thiekcty growth of feeble 

 wood, and perhaps in some places lie cut back 

 with discretion. Then the ground should lie opened 

 around the trunk, with tender avoidance of all um>er 

 roots (if any still live as a rarity), and a mulching 

 of good, rich manure should lie laid on in the winter- 

 time; or, failing such encouragement, a frequent 

 supply of good liquid strength, when the roots are 

 on the feed in summer-time. The difficulty is to 

 get this new supply to the parts that are fit to take 

 it up. and then to provide the proper dose. And 

 none but a man who knows the nature of a tree 

 should lie permitted to attempt it. Too often the 

 >o|s of these old trees are prongs that strike 

 downwards mightily, in the manner of a well- 



