ORG 



ORG 



301 



not be removed, or touched, while 

 the v\ nather is very frosty. 



Tliose which are shipped for 

 market, are usually made into long 

 bunches, by tying them to whisps 

 of straw. 



Vi'hen onions are kept long, 

 they are apt tosp.rout, which hurts 

 thtm for eating. To prevent this, 

 nothing more is necessary than to 

 sear the fibrous roots with a hot 

 iron. The pores of the roots will 

 thus be stopped, through which 

 the air enters and causes them to 

 vegetate. 



To obtain seed from onions 

 they should be planted early in 

 beds, about nine inches apart. The 

 largest and soundest are best, hi 

 a month the tops will appear; and 

 each one will send up several 

 stems for seed. They should be 

 kept free from weeds ; and when 

 the heads of the flowers begin to 

 appear, each plant must have a 

 stake about four feet long, and its 

 stems be loosely tied to the stake 

 by a soft string of sutficient strength. 

 If this be neglected, the heavj 

 tops will lay the stalks on the 

 ground, or the winds will break 

 them. In either case, the seeds 

 will fail of coming to perfection. 



ORCHARD, an enclosed plan- 

 tation of fruit trees, not again to 

 be removed. 



An orchard may consist wholly 

 of pear trees; or of quince, peach, 

 plum, &c. or it may be a mixture 

 of various kinds of trees. But or- 

 chards of apple trees are the most 

 important, and are almost the only 

 ones in this country. Other fruit 

 trees are commonly planted in the 

 borders of fields, or gardens ; be- 



cause only a small number of them 

 is desired, or considered as advan- 

 tageous, b^ farmers. 



The soil for an orchard should 

 be suited to the nature of the trees 

 planted in it. Though a clay soil 

 will do well for pear trees, it is not 

 at all suitable for apple trees. ])ry 

 sand and gravel are not good ; but 

 a deep hazel loan) is preferred to 

 any other soil ; aiid it is the better 

 if it be somewhat ro<k} and moist. 



Plains, hollows, or high summits, 

 are not so good situations (or or- 

 chards, as land gently stopping : 

 And a southeastern exposure is 

 generally the best. But when 

 this exposes the trees to sea winds, 

 a southwestern exposure may be 

 accounted better. 



If the land be swarded, it should 

 be broken up and tilled one year 

 before the trees are planted ; and 

 if it be dunged it will be better for 

 the trees. The rocks should also 

 be taken out ; because it cannot 

 be done so conveniently alter- 

 wards. And if there be any large 

 stumps of trees, which would last 

 long in the ground, they should be 

 taken out. Otherwise they will 

 render the operations of tillage in 

 the young orchard very difficult. 



Trees which are ungrafted are 

 supposed to bear as good fruit as 

 any for cyder. They commonly 

 bear more fruit, and will last long- 

 er. 



But when grafted trees are to 

 be transplanted, those should be 

 chosen that have not been grafted 

 more than two years. Old stinted 

 trees, the refuse of a nursery, are 

 to be avoided, which will grow 

 very slowly, if at all. For direc- 



