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THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



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cially to Cherries and stone-fruit, which will gum prodigiously, 

 and decay in places where they are cut; while the Apples 

 and Pears, which are not of so nice a nature, will produce a 

 greater quantity of lateral branches, which will fill the heads 

 of the trees with weak shoots, whenever their branches are 

 thus shortened; which often occasions the casting off of the 

 fruit produced at the extremity of their shoots. It may seem 

 strange to some persons, says the celebrated Mr. Miller, that 

 I should recommend the allowing so much distance to the 

 trees in an orchard, because a small piece of ground will ad- 

 mit of but very few trees, planted in this method; but, if they 

 will please to observe, when the trees are grown up, they 

 will produce a great deal more fruit than twice the number 

 when planted close, and their fruit will also be better tasted. 

 The trees planted at a great distance, are never so liable to 

 be blighted, as has been observed in Herefordshire; where 

 they find, when orchards are so planted or situated, that 

 the air is pent up amongst the trees, and the vapours that 

 arise from the ground, and the perspiration of the trees, 

 collect the heat of the sun, and reflect it in streams, so as to 

 cause what they call a fire-blast ; which is the most injurious 

 to their fruits, and is most frequent where the orchards are 

 open to the south sun. But as orchards should never be 

 planted, except where large quantities of fruit are desired, 

 so it will be the same thing to allow twice or three times the 

 quantity of ground ; since, as has been already observed, there 

 may be a crop of any sort of grain upon the same place, so 

 that there is no considerable loss of ground ; and for a family 

 only, it is hardly worth while to plant an orchard, since a 

 kitchen garden well planted with espaliers, will afford more 

 fruit than can be eaten while good, especially if the kitchen- 

 garden be proportioned to the size of the family. Even if 

 cider be required, there may be a large avenue of Apple-trees 

 extended across a neighbouring field, which would render 

 the path pleasant; or, there may be some single rows of trees 

 planted, to surround fields, which will effectually answer the 

 same purpose, without being liable to the fire-blasts before- 

 mentioned. Those small pieces of ground adjoining to 

 houses, and that are called orchards because they are stuck 

 full of fruit-trees, without much regard to soil or aspect, 

 seem to have only one advantage, that the proprietor is at 

 hand to protect the fruit from plunderers. But the orchards 

 in the cider counties, and particularly in Herefordshire, 

 are dispersed over all parts of the country, at various de- 

 grees of elevation, and in aspects that look to every point of 

 the compass; although the south-east, with a screen to the 

 north, seems to be the favourite aspect. But though this has 

 reason on its side, wherever the fruit plantations are ex- 

 tensive, it is prudent to place them with different aspects ; for, 

 as Mr. Marshall has observed, in the year 1783, orchard 

 fruit was cut off in every aspect, except the north-west. 

 This was probably owing to the blossoms being kept back, 

 till frost and blight were past; but there can be little doubt 

 that on ground gently inclining to the south, or south-east, 

 and well defended to the north and east, there will be in 

 general a greater probability of a crop, and the fruit will be 

 better flavoured. The richest soil is commonly in valleys, and 

 they are there more sheltered from storms; but they are also 

 more subject to spring frosts, insects, and blights. The best 

 orchards of Apples are on a strong clayey soil, which is con- 

 genial to most varieties of this fruit; some of them however 

 affect a light sandy loam, as the Stire, Hagloe Crab, and 

 Golden Pippin; and it is a fact, well ascertained, that cut- 

 tings from the same tree, and grafted upon similar stocks, 

 will produce cider of a different quality, when planted in 

 different soils. It seems to be admitted, that the liquor pro- 



duced from trees in clay, is of a stronger body, and will keep 

 better, than that which is made from trees on a sandy soil, 

 Pears are less difficult in their soil than apples, and they are 

 not so liable to be injured by frost and blight. They are 

 generally supposed to flourish most in a calcareous soil; 

 though the Squash Pear draws the finest Perry from deep 

 strong land. Stocks for grafting upon are raised either in 

 November or February. The must, or residue of Apples or 

 Crabs after the cider or vinegar has been squeezed out, is 

 sown on a bed of highly cultivated mould in a garden, and 

 is kept clean by hand. If new varieties, or the improvement 

 of old ones, be the object, the seed-bed ought to be made as 

 rich as possible; but if the preservation of varieties be all 

 that is wanted, a common loamy soil is sufficient. It must 

 however be remarked, that this method of sowing the must 

 is a bad one, because the largest and best kernels are bruised 

 in the press; and thus the stocks are mostly raised from the 

 smaller ones. It would surely be better to pick a few of the 

 best Apples from the tree, or rather to let them remain till 

 they are so ripe as to drop off themselves, and then to take 

 out the soundest and healthiest kernels. Stocks raised from 

 apple kernels are, however, much inferior to such as are raised 

 from the crab. The tree will bear fruit three or four years 

 sooner ; but the crab stock will endure twenty or thirty years 

 longer, and is not so liable to moss and canker. At the end 

 of two years, the seedlings are planted out in a nursery, in 

 rows, three feet distant, and from fifteen to eighteen inches, 

 or even two feet asunder in the rows ; care being had not to 

 cramp the roots, but to bed them evenly in the mould. The 

 plants should be sorted according to their strength, the tap- 

 roots taken off, and the longer side rootlets shortened : whilst 

 they remain in the nursery, which they generally do till they 

 are finally planted out in the orchard, they are trimmed twice 

 a year. It is a good method to transplant them two years 

 before they are to be transferred to the orchard, into "fresh 

 unmanured ground, double dug, and set in a quincunx order, 

 four feet apart every way. For raising and improving varie- 

 ties, the soil should be deep and good; and the plants should 

 be moved every second, third, or fourth year; but all this 

 trouble is very seldom taken. While the plants are small, 

 the intervals may be cropped with such kitchen-garden pro- 

 duce as will not overshadow them, or exhaust the ground. 

 In trimming or pruning, if there be two leaders, the weaker 

 should be taken off; if the leader be irrecoverably lost, cut 

 the plant down, to within a handsbreadth of the soil, and 

 train a fresh stem ; take the undermost boughs off by degrees, 

 always preserving sufficient heads to draw up the sap ; not 

 trimming them up to naked twigs, as is the common practice, 

 thereby drawing them up tall and feeble. The length of stem 

 to which stocks are usually trained is six feet, or sometimes 

 near seven ; if they were still higher, they would be more out 

 of the reach of stock, and be much less injurious to whatever 

 grows under it. The usual size at which stocks of the com- 

 mon height are planted out, is four to six inches girth, at 

 three feet high; to which size they will attain in seven or 

 eight years, with proper management. In planting the or- 

 chard, the proper distance ought to be proportionable to the 

 natural growth, or spread of the trees; in old orchards, the 

 trees are only eight or even six yards asunder, and the more 

 prevailing distance has since been ten yards, though some 

 allow twelve yards, which is still better, but yet not enough; 

 for in the grass grounds of Gloucestershire, and the arable 

 fields of Herefordshire, twenty yards is a common distance; 

 some of twenty-five yards, so that a chain's length, or twenty- 

 two yards, might be taken as a good medium distance, and in 

 this case each acre would hold forty trees. In grounds, the 



