510 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Orchard continued. 



formed. A mulching of half-rotten manure, or any- 

 thing of a non-conducting description, should always be 

 applied to the surface so soon as the planting is 

 finished ; and watering occasionally, or, perhaps, fre- 

 quently, according to the season, will doubtless be neces- 

 sary throughout the following summer. 



If the soil is of itself workable, as it should be, and 

 fairly good, it would be best used alone around the 

 roots of newly-planted trees. Manure is frequently very 

 injurious in such a position, when it might be made of 

 great benefit by being placed above, where its goodness 

 could descend, and afford nourishment after some new 

 root-growth were made. Feeding with manure may, at 

 times, be carried to an excess ; as, for instance, when 

 strong, sappy growths are produced, instead of firm, short- 

 jointed ones. A free growth should by all means be 

 encouraged, particularly in young trees ; but it is desir- 

 able that the wood should become well ripened in any 

 case, and it is a necessity in trees large enough for 



Pruning ia not very much required in Orchards, except 

 a little cutting back the first year or two, to insure 

 evenly-balanced heads, and just enough thinning after- 

 wards to prevent overcrowding. Much finer fruits are 

 obtained from such fruit-trees as those planted in 

 Orchards, when they are allowed to grow freely and 

 naturally, always provided there is plenty of space for 

 the admission of sun, air, and light. 



Selections of Fruits for Orchards. Fruit-trees, as 

 standards, to bear the exposure of an Orchard, must, of 

 necessity, be free-growing, and of a hardy constitution, 

 the degree of hardiness necessary being regulated some- 

 what by the locality. A list of such varieties of the 

 principal fruits as are, from their strong-growing and 

 generally productive nature, calculated to succeed, when 

 treated in the way referred to, can only, therefore, be 

 given. 



Apples. Alfriston, Beauty of Kent, Blenheim Orange, Cellini, 

 Devonshire Quarrenden, Duchess of Oldenburg, Dumelow's 

 Seedling, Fearn's Pippin, Golden Winter Pearmam, Hawthorn- 

 den, Herefordshire Pearmain, Kentish Fillbasket, Keswick 

 Codlin, Lane's Prince Albert, Lord Suffield, Manks Codlin, 

 Mere de Manage, Northern Greening, Small's Admirable, 

 Stirling Castle, Tower of Glammis, Warner's King, Worcester 

 Pearmain, Wormsley Pippin, Yorkshire Greening. 



Cherries. Adams' Crown, Bigarreau, Bigarreau Napoleon, 

 Black Eagle, Buttner's Black Heart, Downton, Elton, Kentish, 

 Knight's Early Black, Late Duke, May Duke, Morello. 



Cluster or Crittenden, Common, Farleigh Prolific, 

 Prune, Bivers's Early. 



Pears. Autumn Bergamot, Beurre Capiaumont, Doyenne 1 Bous- 

 soch, Fertility, Hessle, Jargonelle, Jersey Giatioli, Louise Bonne 

 of Jersey, Swan's Egg, Williams' Bon Chretien, Windsor, Winter 

 Nelis. 



Plums. Diamond, Early Orleans, Goliath, Pond's Seedling, 

 Prince of Wales, Victoria. 



ORCHARD HOUSE. A most useful structure, 

 devoted to the cultivation more especially of fruit- 

 trees that do not succeed favourably in the open air. 

 There are but few localities over the area covered by 

 the British Isles in which any of our comparatively 

 tender fruits can be obtained in perfection annually out- 

 side, and, in the more Northern parts, many of them 

 fail altogether to produce crops, except under glass pro- 

 tection. Pot culture of fruit-trees in Orchard Houses has 

 been practised some thirty or more years. It was at first 

 confined simply to providing glass structures on a roughly- 

 built scale ; but many improvements have since been 

 suggested and carried out, as a result of the experience 

 gained, and because of the extent to which the system has 

 been adopted, not only in this country, but in some parts 

 of the Continent, and more extensively in the United States. 

 An Orchard House may be either heated or unheated. 

 The mere protection it affords, in spring and summer, 



Orchard House continued. 



because of the bulk of warmed air contained in the 

 interior, even when unheated by hot water, is most 

 marked, even in favoured localities, when the fruits 

 are gathered and compared with others of the same sorts 

 grown outside. A very great advantage is, however, 

 secured by having artificial heat at command in spring. 

 At this season, mild weather may induce the blossoms 

 to open earlier than is desirable, and a glass roof 

 would be insufficient of itself to prevent injury, should 

 there be a severe frost. Again, the prevalence of 

 dull, cold weather at the same season is generally 

 more injurious to expanded fruit blossoms than even 

 a little frost with bright days; and this is the 

 time for using a little artificial heat. It need not, 

 and, in fact, must not, be used very much ; but the 

 exclusion of frost, and the preservation of a somewhat 

 dry and airy atmosphere, are most important points to 

 be secured onwards from the time the flower-buds ex- 

 pand. When the fruits are set, a little warmth will also 

 materially help them to commence swelling : the fact 

 that they cannot stand still, but must either swell in a 

 short time or drop off, is but insufficiently recognised 

 in gardens generally. Great attention is devoted to 

 fruit-trees when in flower; they are protected by glass, 

 and by coverings of various descriptions very important 

 precautions, certainly, yet, of themselves, only part of 

 the necessary provision that should be made for assist- 

 ing the fruits beyond, as well as at the flowering stage, 

 when the weather is unfavourable towards them. A 

 little heat at command also renders an Orchard House 

 of much greater value in winter, when the fruit- 

 trees are dormant. If the latter are limited mostly to 

 such as are grown in pots, they may be arranged nearly 

 close together, or even plunged amongst dry litter or 

 bracken in a sheltered position outside, the house mean- 

 while being used for plants, such as Chrysanthemums, 

 or others of a hard-wooded description, that flower 

 naturally or have to be forced in spring. Orchard 

 Houses are not usually meant to be used for forcing 

 purposes, although fruit from trees in pots has, under 

 proper treatment, been obtained from such structures 

 equal in quality to that produced in special forcing- 

 houses. An attempt at forcing a number of different 

 fruit-trees in one temperature, and under similar con- 

 ditions, would, moreover, end in failure at least, in 

 part. Take the same collection, and gradually bring 

 the different trees forming it into flower, afford them 

 protection at that time, and due attention in respect 

 of cultural requirements throughout the summer, and, 

 in all likelihood, the purpose will be effected for which 

 an Orchard House proper should be intended. Plenty 

 of heat is provided by the sun during summer ; it 

 should be utilised to the fullest extent just after the 

 fruits are set, by closing the ventilators somewhat earlier 

 on fine afternoons at that season than is requisite at 

 other times. Fire heat should only be used when it 

 becomes really necessary, and then a little ventilation 

 at the same time is most desirable. To have it at com- 

 mand is, however, a valuable acquisition, which is of 

 material importance for insuring crops, when, otherwise, 

 they would be most likely to fail. Orchard Houses, in 

 their simplest forms, are unheated ; but the insertion 

 of hot-water pipes, if only enough to exclude frost, is 

 confidently recommended, for the several reasons already 

 set forth. The main object is that of providing accom- 

 modation for the culture of good varieties of somewhat 

 tender fruits, in order that finer produce and superior 

 quality may be secured than that which it is possible 

 to obtain from trees on outside walls, or from such as 

 are in the open ground. The reference to selection being 

 confined to good varieties, is suggestive of what should 

 be specially considered in giving space to trees in an 

 Orchard House. If the fruits of any are but second- 



