in 1707, apples sold in Liverpool at 2s. 6d. 

 per bushel. 



Daniel Defoe (author of " Robinson 

 Crusoe"), writing in 1724 (George I. 

 reign), states that 6,000 acres of hops had 

 been planted around Canterbury within 

 living memory. He writes of Maidstone 

 as the " mother of hop grounds," and of 

 the country round about Faversham as 

 being famous for apples and cherries. 



Richard Bradley, in 1729 (George II. 

 reign), records that ground never 

 esteemed worth a shilling an acre had been 

 rendered worth £40, £50, and sometimes 

 more pounds a year by planting hops judi- 

 ciously, and that £30, and even £50 clear 

 profit per acre had been made from hops. 

 Bradley, in 1726, gives a long list of pears, 

 all with French names, hardly any of which 

 are now known in England. 



Mr. Chevallier, of Aspall Hall, Suffolk, 

 sold cider in 1742 at lOd. a gallon; in 1745 

 at Is. per gallon; whereas in 1746 apples 

 sold at 4d. per bushel, and cider only 

 fetched 6d. per gallon. 



In the "'Compleat Cyderman," written 

 in 1754 (George II.), appears the state- 

 ment referring to apple orchards in Devon, 

 Cornwall, and Hereford, that under tillage 

 apple trees grow as fast again as under 

 grass, and that in Kent crops of corn 

 were grown between the trees; it adds, 

 that orchards should be sheltered from 

 east wind, which brings swarms of im- 

 perceptible eggs and insects in the air. 

 Perrj' pear trees are mentioned as making 

 a good screen. In the hard frosts of 1709, 

 1716, and 1740, it records that great num- 

 bers of fruit and other trees were des- 

 troyed by frost. 



In Devonshire, top dressing over the 

 roots of old apple trees with soil from 

 roads and ditches was practised, chalk 

 and lime were also used. Care was taken 

 of the heads of the trees to prevent the 

 branches interfering with one another, 

 and the heads were made to spread as 

 much as possible ; at this date the apple 

 orchards in Devon excelled. 



In Herefordshire, we are told, the roots 

 of the apple trees were laid bare and ex- 

 posed for 12 days of the Christmas holi- 

 days that the wind might loosen them, the 

 roots were afterwards covered with a 

 compost of dung, mould and a little lime. 



189 



The method of planting apple trees 

 recommended was to take off the turf, lay 

 it back by itself, then the next earth, 

 called virgin mould, to be laid also by 

 itself, next, put horse litter over the 

 bottom of the hole with some of the 

 virgin mould over the roots, then spread 

 old horse dung over this and upon that 

 the turf leaving it in a basin shape. 

 The ground in a young orchard in Devon 

 was first planted with cabbage, next with 

 potatoes, next with beans, and so on, 

 until the heads of the trees became large 

 enough, when the land was allowed to 

 return to pasture. 



In 1763 the rent of good land in Devon 

 was about £1 per acre, that of good 

 orchard land £2. 



The following is an estimate of the cost 

 per acre of making a cider orchard in 

 Devonshire in 1763 : — 



£ s. d. £ s. ci. 

 132 apple trees, at 2/- (18t't. 



apart) 13 4 



(The custom had been to 

 plant 160 trees to the 

 acre, but this distance 

 (16^ft. apart) was con- 

 sidered too close.) 

 Carriage per tree at 2d., 

 manure per tree at 3d., 

 planting per tree at 3d.... 4 8 



17 12 U 



Interest on £17 12s. for 15 years 

 before the orchard became profit- 

 able, at 5 per cent 13 2 b 



Loss of half the rent of the land for 



the same period at 10/- per acre ... 7 10 

 Building cellarage for product per acre 5 



£43 4 6 



Whilst the following is given as the 

 yearly expense : — 



Rent of one acre of cider orchard £2 



Tithe on 10 hogsheads, at 6d 5 



Gathering, making and carriage to and 



from the pound, at 3/6 a hogshead... 1 15 



Racking twice, at 6d 5 



Casks and cooperage 8 



£4 13 



The following was the estimated yearly 

 receipt : — 

 10 hogsheads of cider, diminished by 



racking and waste to 8, selling at 12/6 



per hogshead £5 



leaving 7s. for risk of spoiling. 



