176 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. 



upon these various branches of the subject, before mak- 

 ing the first movement towards the execution of his 

 project. 



SECTION 2. THE ORCHARD. 



The orchard is distinguished from the fruit garden in 

 this, that the trees planted in it are generally of the larg- 

 est size to which the species attain ; they are grown in 

 the natural, or, as it is called, standard form, without any 

 particular training, and the varieties are generally the 

 most hardy and productive of the species. 



1st. The situation of an orchard, with regard to expos- 

 ure or aspect, requires very little consideration in some 

 parts of the country. Where, as in Western New York, 

 for instance, the winters are uniform, or comparatively so, 

 in temperature, and late spring frosts do not prevail, the 

 main difficulties to guard against are the prevailing high 

 winds from the west and north that injure the blossoms, 

 and blow off the fruit before it is mature. If possible, a 

 situation should be chosen where some natural obstacle, 

 as a hill, or a belt of woods, would break the force and 

 influence of these destructive winds. Where no such 

 obstacle naturally exists, a belt or border of rapidly-grow- 

 ing trees, such as Soft Maple, White Pine, Norway 

 Spruce, Scotch Pine, European Larch, etc., should be 

 planted simultaneously with the planting of the orchard, 

 that they may grow up and form a protection by the time 

 the trees have come into bearing. Instances occur every 

 year in our own section where sheltered orchards bear 

 full crops, whilst those fully exposed to the winds fail 

 entirely. 



In other sections, as in some of the central and south- 

 ern counties of New York, and in some parts of Ohio, 

 Illinois, Wisconsin, and others of the Western as well as 

 in the Southern States, where late and fatal spring frosts 

 prevail, the selection of a situation is a most important 



