Of Orchards. 463 



No excellence of culture or management, can make up for 

 the want of a dry and sound bottom. Hence the necessity of 

 draining thoroughly, whenever moisture is suspected. When 

 young trees are planted, the earth should be dug sufficiently 

 deep, to facilitate the passage of the water, that it may not 

 injure the roots. The surface should likewise be trenched 

 with a spade, the year before planting, to the depth of at 

 least two feet, and as much rotten manure, ashes, lime-shells, 

 or marly sand, used, as can be spared, or conveniently got, 

 increasing the quantity as the soil is poor. 



Some have imagined, that when the roots of fruit-trees reach 

 the cold and unfertile stratum or subsoil, they become stunted, 

 and unproductive, and soon perish. To prevent this, it has 

 been recommended, to dig pits to the depth of eight feet, and 

 fill them up with brick-bats, cinders, &c. and to lay over these 

 pits, one or more courses of flags, to prevent the roots of the 

 trees, from reaching the injurious subsoil ; and to cause the 

 trees to send their roots in a horizontal direction. Others 

 content themselves with merely placing flags, between the 

 soil and subsoil, without digging any pit; and some have 

 collected as much soil, as could be obtained, and raised it 

 up into a hillock, three or four feet in the centre, in hopes, 

 that the trees would confine their roots to that earth, and 

 avoid the subsoil. These are all meant as improvements ; and 

 it is said, that some of these precautions were taken by the 

 Monks, when they planted orchards in ancient times. But 

 others, who have paid much attention to such matters, are of 

 opinion, that these preventives can do no good. A pit of 

 eight feet, or of any other depth, sunk in a hard clayey sub- 

 soil, would stand brimful of water, even when filled with the 

 materials that have been mentioned ; so that the tree would 

 not have a rich soil to stretch its roots into, but merely a 

 deep pit full of brick-bats, with cinders, and with water. 

 Flags placed over a pit so filled, or even on the solid subsoil, 

 could do no good, as the trees would send their roots over 

 them, and sink them into the forbidden subsoil under the stone. 

 Neither can the collection of soil to the height mentioned, 

 do much good ; for that part of it which is excluded from the 

 sun and weather, will, in a short time, become as inert and 

 sterile, as the subsoil under it ; and if it is no more than three 

 or four feet in depth, the roots of the trees, will soon advance 

 through it, and go into the subsoil under the hillocks. 



The same opinions were advanced, a good many years ago, 

 respecting thorns in fences, being killed by their roots reach- 

 ing the sterile subsoil. Both, however, proceed from other 

 causes, and are refuted by most satisfactory evidence of facts. 



2 G 



