HOW TO GROW GOOD ORCHARDS. 323 



Dorsetshire, Ckler somewhat poor ; 



Herefordshire, Cider and Perry, very strong, but somewhat 



harsh ; 

 Worcestershire, Perry and Cider, rich and not too harsh : 

 Gloucestershire, Cider and Perry, strong but not sweet. 



The prevailing geological formations of these eider- 

 producing counties may be arranged as follows : — 



1. Oolite Sands — Dorset, and parts of Somerset. 



2. Lias — Gloucester, Somerset, and Dorset. 



3. New Red Sandstone — Worcester, Devon and Hereford, 



in part. 

 •i. Old Red Sandstone — Hereford and Devon. 

 5. Silurian System — Hereford, in part. 



Ilence, then, cider and perry are grown on the 

 sub-soils of five geological substrata, if, indeed, No. 1 

 should not here be classed with No. 2, for the extent 

 of orcharding upon the inferior oolite sands of Somer- 

 set and Dorset is rather due to its extension from the 

 contiguous lias, and this on account of an occasional 

 depth and tenacity of soil. Its produce, however, is 

 usually inferior. 



In Gloucestershire orchards always stop when the 

 top of the lias is reached, and it is curious to see the 

 sides of the Cotteswolds occupied with well-to-do 

 orchards until the oolite is reached, and then they 

 cease altogether, except in some few instances, which 

 arc here referred to by way of warning. 



Gloucestershire, for our present purpose, may be 

 said to rest on liassic valleys and oolitic hills. In 

 the valleys are small farms with small enclosures, 

 much of which is in orchard and meadow, whilst on 

 the hills are large farms with fields of from 30 to 100 

 acres devoted to arable cultivation. Hence, then, 



