Of Orchards. 461 



for the production of fruit. Their roots, also their drip, and 

 shade, are destructive, not only to corn, but to clover, and to 

 turnips ; impeding the free circulation of air, and obstructing 

 the teams when ploughing. While the trees are young, 

 however, the land cannot be too much stirred ( 474 ). 



In Gloucestershire, orchards are kept in grass, in which 

 state, under ordinary management, the progress of the trees 

 is comparatively slow, for want of the earth being stirred 

 about their roots, while the trees are injured (more especially 

 low-headed drooping trees), by the grazing stock. Cattle 

 also, if admitted at the season when the fruit is growing, de- 

 stroy all that is within their reach, and often suffer from the 

 fruit lodging in their throats. Notwithstanding these disad- 

 vantages, when the trees become of such a size, as to be in- 

 jurious to the arable crops, the ground ought to be con- 

 verted into a state of grass ( 475 ). The herbage produced 

 in an orchard also, comes very early in the spring, when it is 

 peculiarly valuable to the farmer. Under judicious manage- 

 ment, it is never suffered to grow long or coarse ; and an or- 

 chard in this condition, will be found to support a very con- 

 siderable quantity of stock ( 47G ). 



The fruit-gardeners near London, have, what they call an 

 upper and under crop, growing on the same ground at one time, 

 The upper crop includes apples, pears, cherries, &c. The 

 under crop consists of raspberries, gooseberries, currants, 

 strawberries, and those shrubs and herbs which are known to 

 sustain the shade and drip from the trees above them, with 

 the least injury ( 477 ). .Near Glasgow, small fruits are in 

 great demand, and are frequently grown in orchards. There 

 are instances of L.I 00 being got for an acre of gooseberries, 

 near a manufacturing town ( 478 ). 



In young orchards, the spaces between the trees, are in 

 some cases occupied with hops ( 479 ), and in others, with fil- 

 berts. In grown orchards, the filbert is frequently seen, 

 though this is far from being generally the case. Some old 

 orchards are in permanent sward ; others bear arable or gar- 

 den crops : some are in sainfoin ; others in lucern ( 48 ). Some- 

 times the interstices are used as nursery ground ; but this 

 seems a bad plan, as it exhausts the land and prevents its be- 

 ing properly stirred. 



In Devonshire, the trees of orchards are kept so low, that 

 the use of the land is in a great measure lost. Horses are 

 sometimes allowed to run through them; and calves in early 

 spring ; but grown cattle and sheep are at all times prohibited ; 

 likewise swine, when the fruit is on the trees ( 481 ). 



6. Stock. Cows are frequently grazed in orchards when in 



