o R c: 



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•sen) rouls twelve feci deep, and tlic trees tluive 

 well. Where the bottom is clay, the roots 

 should, he uays, lie cut-in oiiec ui tour years, to 

 prevent them iVuiii penetrating the clay, which 

 would greatly injure the trees. Whatever the 

 Mature of the soil may be, it should have a good 

 depth, as two or three il'Ct. Where the soils 

 ire uet they should be well drained in the same 

 manner as has been directed for gardens, or by 

 forming the land in ridges with furrows between 

 tlic rows to convey otT the moisture, the turf 

 being rclald in case of the ground being in the 

 slate of sward. 



Size. — In regard to the size of an Orchard, it 

 iiiay vary from one to ten and fifteen or more 

 acres, according to the quantity of fruit wanted, 

 or the proportion of ground that is fit for the 

 purpose. 



Prt-parriiion. — This is effected in different 

 ways : but the best method is, probably, before 

 planting tiie trees, to trench it two spits deep, 

 and ten feet broad, where the rows are to be 

 ])Ianled, and to loosen a spit below, unless it be 

 clav, which should, Mr. Forsyth says, be trodden 

 down. Where the ground is in pasture, it should, 

 lie says, be ploughed, and well summer-fallowed, 

 till the grass be killed, otherwise when it is laid 

 in the bottom in trenching, which it gene- 

 rally is, it will be very apt to breed grubs, 

 which do much mischief. In bad shingly or 

 gravelly soils, he recommends that holes should 

 be dug at least three feet deep, and filled up with 

 good'mould: if mixed up with rotten dung, 

 rotten leaves, or other manure, the trees will in 

 time amply repay the expense: the dung used 

 for this purpose should, he says, be that from 

 the melon and cucumber beds, mixed with the 

 mould from the same, wlTen the beds are broken 

 up in autumn, or winter; and be laid up in 

 heaps, and continued so for one year at least ; but 

 be Ircqnently turned and have some good fiesh 

 mould mixed with it. It is the practice v.ith 

 sonic to only dig holes large enough to receive 

 the roots, especially in grass-ground \^ hich is to 

 be continued so. Others prep:tre the ground 

 bv deep ploughing, if the Orchard is to be 

 of great extent. The sward, if pasture, should 

 be ploughed-in some time in spring; a good 

 suninier-i'allow should be given it, ploughing it 

 two or ihi-ee times, which will rot ihe turf. A 

 fortnight or three weeks before planting, it should 

 have a good deep ploughing to prepare it for the 

 reeepticni of the trees. In Kent, and some other 

 hop districts, they prepare their orchard-ground 

 by the grow th of hops upon it with the fruit- 

 trees, by which they are much protected and 

 broujrht forwaid. 



Seasmi of Plavthig — In relation to the period 

 of j'l.uiting, it maybe performed with success 

 nt different seasons, according to the nature 

 of the land, 'ihe best time lor planting on a 

 dry soil is, Mr. Forsytli says, in October; but, 

 if v.et, the latter end of February, or the month 

 of March, will be a more fit season. The chief 

 circumstance in this business is to suit the trees 

 as much as possible to the soil, and to plant 

 them at proper distances from each other ; w hich 

 may be from forty to eighty I'eet, according to 

 the size of the trees when lull grown. He ob- 

 serves that fruit-trees, when planted too thick, 

 are very liable to blights, and to be covered with 

 moss, which robs them of a great part of their 

 nourishment, besides spoiling the flavour of the 

 fruit. 



Procvr'uig the Trees. — In providing the trees 

 it is a good practice to procure them froni a soil 

 nearly siu'ilar to, or rather worse than, that w here 

 they are intended to be planted ; as trees trans- 

 planted from a rich soil to a poorer one never 

 thrive so well ; but if from a poor to a richer sojl, 

 they gcneralK' succeed in a perlect manner. 

 Good trees, which have been pvoperly pruned, 

 which are quite free from bruises and disease, 

 should always be carefully selected; and tlieir 

 roots be preserved as much as possible when 

 taken up. 



Tlie most proper sorts of trees for small or- 

 chards may be those of the Jancting, Golden 

 Pippin, Nonesuch, liibston Pippin, Nonpareil, 

 Oucen, Sky-house, Golden Picnnet, Aromatic 

 Pippin, Grey Leadington, Scarlet Pcarmain, 

 Lemon Pippin, Pommegrisc, French Crab, 

 Russeting and Codling kinds. But various 

 other sorts may be employed where the orch- 

 ards are extensive, and a great variety of fruit 

 necessary. 



Planting the Trees. — ^W^ith regard to the pro- 

 per distance of planting the trees, it should be 

 regulatLd by tliC natural grow th or spreadina of 

 them w hen fully grown, as well as the nature 

 and goodness of ihc soil. It was formerly the 

 practice to have them put in at narrow distances ; 

 but at present ten. twelve, or fifteen yards arc 

 more common, and in the cyder districts from 

 twenty to twenty five yards are in use. The 

 usual mode of arranging the trees is, in open 

 grounds in lines or rows; but in close plantations 

 the quincunx method is more in use. Iir the 

 row method, wjicn it can be done, they should 

 be in the direction of nonh and south, or one 

 point more to the east, as by this means they 

 will have the advantage of the sun from the early 

 part of the morning in the spring season, which 

 will in a great measure prevent the damp 



