Of Orchards. 465 



To understand this properly, the trees should be planted 

 at 15 yards distance from each other in the rows, and 13 be- 

 tween the rows, and the trees of the second row should be in 

 the middle between the trees in the first and third rows. If 

 a larger distance is preferred, the proportion of 15 in the row, 

 to 13 between the row, should be preserved. 



In all the orchard districts, there are the greatest complaints 

 of the decay of trees, and the state of unproductiveness into 

 which they have fallen ( 49 ). Where that takes place, the 

 plan of peeling the outer bark of these decayed trees, (as al- 

 ready explained in the Section of Gardens), and either trust- 

 ing to their natural growth, or engrafting on them new va- 

 rieties, ought to be tried. 



An easy remedy for the white blight, or American bug, has 

 been discovered. It is only necessary to clean the diseased 

 parts, and to apply to them common fish oil, such as is used 

 in coarse out-door work, with a brush, by which means the nui- 

 sance may be got rid of without injury to the plants ( 491 ). 



It is a rule, that standard trees in orchards, should be trained, 

 pruned, and cleaned, with as much care as wall-trees, in order 

 to ensure their productiveness, at least while they are young. 

 When the stems are well swelled, the head well formed, and 

 there are three or four flourishing main branches, it is only 

 necessary to take off the annual shoots which form on the 

 limbs, or any foul or ill-directed shoot accidentally produced. 



It cannot also be too strongly inculcated, that to permit 

 young plants to bear fruit for some years, is eventually pro- 

 ductive of essential injury to their future fruitfulness and dura- 

 tion 49i . 



PART IV. 



WOODS AND PLANTATIONS. 



I. Of JVoods. 



THE occupation of land, either with natural wood, or plant- 

 ed timber, is attended with numerous advantages. Trees 

 contribute to the ornament and the shelter of a country ( 493 ); 

 and the importance of timber, as applicable to naval uses, 

 to the building and repair of houses, to the construction 

 of machinery, to husbandry, to mines, to various es- 

 sential manufactures, to utensils, to fuel, and to sevc- 



