CULTIVATION. 55 



fortnight earlier than Sir J. Paxton. This is a great 

 consideration, enabling the grower to realize good prices, 

 and it also helps to prolong the season, and to distribute 

 the work of gathering and marketing more evenly. It is 

 borne in bunches, and the fruit is very large, round in 

 shape, and of a high colour. On some light soils it is 

 considered of somewhat poor flavour and the flesh light 

 and woolly, but on heavy soil the flesh is firm and the 

 flavour really good. The plant being a vigorous grower 

 and a heavy cropper makes it altogether a most profitable 

 variety to grow. 



AFTER CULTIVATION OF ORCHARDS AND 

 PLANTATIONS. 



For orchard or standard trees, if on grass, not much 

 ground cultivation can be given. It is not a good plan to 

 take crops of hay from an orchard. Long grass during 

 its growth so shades the ground, and excludes sun and 

 air, that it is very hurtful to the trees, and causes the 

 young fibrous roots to decay. It is a far better plan to 

 .pasture such land with sheep, especially if they are fed at 

 the time with corn or cake. The land then becomes en- 

 riched instead of impoverished, and a good supply of 

 nutriment to the trees is maintained. Otherwise it is 

 needful to apply manure on the surface periodically, in 

 order to encourage the formation and growth of the 

 fibrous roots near the surface. 



Further directions as to the fit treatment and improve- 

 ment of fruit trees on grass land will be found in the 

 chapter upon renovating old orchards. 



If the standard trees, however, are planted on arable 

 land, it is preferable to keep it open, and not to lay it 

 down to grass for the first few years, but if possible keep 



