CHAPTER XVI. 

 CHERRY ORCHARDS. 



The cherry is only grown for market in 

 certain districts, partly because it requires 

 a certain climate and soil to thrive, and 

 partly because there needs to be a suffi- 

 cient number of trees to make it worth 

 employing a man or boy to scare off the 

 birds. Cherry trefes do not thrive on wet 

 land which needs draining. 



In the North of Kent there are large, 

 well-tended, productive, cherry orchards 

 in the neighbourhood of Teynham, Sit- 

 tingbourne and Faversham, here they 

 grow on a loamy soil, over clay, over 

 chalk. In Mid-Kent there are extensive 

 and good orchards around Maidstone and 

 Mailing on the favourable soil over-lying 

 the Kentish ragstone, a kind of limestone. 

 In Worcestershire, there are small cherry 

 orchards around Tenbury. 



Nearly all cherry orchards are under 

 grass, experience with the cherry in this 

 climatt; has taught this method, perhaps 

 because cherry roots are shallow and they 

 extend far around the tree. In Kent 

 nearly all the orchards above 10 years 

 old are under grass, it has been the prac- 

 tice to plant cherry trees in hop planta- 

 tions, at 30 to 40 feet apart, cultivate the 

 land, and tend the trees for about 10 

 years, then grub the hops and sow the 

 land with grass and clover seeds suitable 

 for permanent pasture. Cherry trees also 

 thrive if planted out direct into grass land 

 in the above districts, if carefully staked, 

 planted, and protected. It is well to 

 keep the ground to a distance of say 2ft. 

 or more from the tree cultivated, dug and 

 hoed, for half-a-dozen years, rather than 

 let grass grow up to the trees right away, 

 as it would check the growth of the trees. 

 A very important factor in the tending of 

 grass orchards is the careful grazing by 

 sheep, the aim being to have the grass 

 evenly and closely eaten off, so that the 

 grass of the paddock resembles a Turkey 

 carpet. To help the growth or fattening 



of the sheep and to manure the land, corn 

 or cake, mangels or hay is given advan- 

 tageously in moderate quantity. Basic 

 slag is valuable to the grass and cherry 

 trees ; whilst salt will improve and make 

 rough grass more palatable. Any thistles 

 oi' stinging neetles coming up in the grass 

 should be frequently cut over close to the 

 ground, this discourages and checks 

 them, and eventually gets rid of them. 



A good deal of planting in grass is done 

 in the West of England. A man who 

 contracted for planting orchards in Wor- 

 cestershire, around Tenbury, gave me the 

 following estimate of 



Cost of Planting St.\ndard Trees on Grass 

 Land to be Grazed by Cattle (Pre-War). 

 Per Acre. £ s. d. 



48 trees, apples, pears, plums, or cher- 

 ries, with 6ft. stem at 2s 4 16 



48 holes, 4ft. across by 2ft. deep, at 

 2d. each (the distance apart being 

 30ft 8 



Planting (including pruning the head 



and roots), at 2d. per tree 8 



48 stakes, 8ft. xong, at 2d. ...... 8 



48 guards and fixing, consisting of 2in. 

 mesh, 6ft. high galvanised wire net- 

 ting.* and 10 yards of barbed wire 

 (4 barb thick-set) wound round spir- 

 ally, at Is. 6d. each 3 12 



Petty expenses, such as pegging out 

 holes, carting trees, and placing a 

 mulch of manure around each tree... 14 



£10 16 



*Strong wooden tree guards, cost 2s. 6d. or 3s. 

 each, and last about seven years. For sheep 

 and rabbits, a 4ft. length of galvanised wire 

 netting, 2ft. wide, stood on end and fastened 

 around the trees is found to be sufficient, 

 and only costs 2|d. per tree. 



Horses and cattle are best kept out of 

 an orchard ; some horses are very destruc- 

 tive in an orchard. 



At the National Fruit and Cider Insti- 

 tution, near Bristol, trials were made to 



