Hints on Vegetable and Fruit Farming. 25 



will not do well, for instance, upon land with a depth of a few 

 inches upon chalk, nor with a gravelly subsoil, nor upon clay 

 with an undrained, impermeable substratum. 



The aspect of the orchard or plantation should depend upon 

 local circumstances. It should not be too much exposed to the 

 prevalent wind, and a sheltered situation is desirable if it can 

 be obtained. Protection from the east wind is thought advisable, 

 as it generally happens that a cold wind prevails from this 

 quarter in the early spring, and checks the development of leaves 

 and blossoms and encourages the increase of aphides and other 

 injurious insects. 



Standard apple-trees are raised from crab-stocks, grafted with 

 scions of the required sorts ; or from stocks raised from the pips of 

 apple-trees, having hard clear wood, and grafted with the sort 

 required. Crab-stocks are the best. Grafted stocks are fit for 

 planting out when they are from four to six years old. In select- 

 ing standard trees for orchards or for plantations, preference 

 should be given to those which have long stems. These ought 

 to be at least 6J feet from the fork to the ground, so that the 

 branches are out of the way of cattle in the former case, and 

 well above the under fruit in plantations. Apple-trees are 

 planted about 30 feet apart each way, which gives forty-eight 

 trees per acre, when bush fruits are to be put with them ; and 

 24 feet apart, or 75 trees per acre, upon grass-lands ; but the 

 distance must be varied in a degree according to the soil and 

 especially to the sorts planted, as some sorts have at more luxuriant 

 and widely-extending habit of growth than others. 



Planting should be done early in November. It is most 

 important that the trees should be well established before the 

 frosts set in, and the practice of planting in the winter or in 

 the spring cannot be too much deprecated. Holes should be 

 dug at least 3 feet 6 inches in diameter, and the subsoil should 

 be loosened by the spade or spud to a depth of 2 feet. Care 

 must be taken that the tree is not put too deeply in the ground. 

 Three or four strong branches are enough to form the heads of 

 standard trees. All other shoots must be removed. After this 

 they will require very little pruning, but should just be looked 

 over every year or two, and any superfluous shoots cut away, to 

 keep the middle of the tree from being crowded by crossing or 

 interlacing boughs. Stakes must be put to the young trees at 

 once to prevent them from being moved by the wind ; the trees 

 must be protected by wisps of straw or rags, from injury by the 

 cutting of the strings tied round them, and should be carefully 

 examined every year to see that the strings are not too tight. 

 Protection from cattle, sheep, and rabbits, is most essential. 

 Not half enough attention is paid to this and other details. If 



