HO THE MINIATURE FRUIT GARDEN. 



feet in diameter, and from two to three feet . deep ; 

 and in the centre to plant a tree. In rich deep loamy 

 soils trees often succeed when planted in this manner, 

 and as often fail, the hole becoming in wet seasons a 

 pond. 



Orchard trees, as a general rule, should be planted 

 twenty-four feet apart, row from row, and they are 

 for the most part planted twenty-four feet apart in the 

 rows, so as to :-tand that distance apart over the whole 

 orchard. I now propose that the rows should be 

 twenty-four feet apart, but the trees twelve feet apart 

 in the rows, so as to allow of one-third more trees to 

 the acre. Instead of digging large holes, slips, six 

 feet wide, should be marked out on the turf, so that 

 the centre of each is twenty-four feet apart ; each 

 slip should then be trenched, or, as it is often called, 

 " double-dug," to a depth of two feet, turning the turf 

 to the bottom of the trench and bringing the subsoil 

 to the surface. A row of trees should be planted in 

 the centre of each slip, twelve feet apart, and after 

 the lapse of some fifteen or twenty years every alter- 

 nate tree should be either removed and replanted or 

 grubbed up. As such large standard trees would 

 require much care in transplanting, and even then 

 probably not succeed, the latter may prove the more 

 economic mode. By thus planting more trees than 

 required for a permanent orchard, a great advantage 

 is reaped, for the temporary trees will, if the land is 

 good, bear a large quantity of fruit, and amply repay 

 their cost, which is trifling ; for whereas ninety-five 

 trees are required to plant one acre, twenty-four feet 

 apart, by the above method 142 may be planted. I 



