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CHAPTER XXXV. 



On the Orchard. 



THE situation for an Orchard should al- 

 ways be one that has the advantage of a free 

 circulation of air and is well exposed to the 

 south, also to incline a little to the south- 

 east, south, or south-west. For when the 

 situation is low and close, the trees are very 

 liable to become mossy, which always injures 

 them by closing up the pores of the wood. 

 They are also more liable to be affected by 

 blight. Although having an Orchard closely 

 pent up by trees, &c. is injurious, neverthe- 

 less a screen of forest trees, at such a dis- 

 tance from the fruit trees as that the latter 

 will not be shaded by them, is of very great 

 service by protecting the trees in spring from 

 severe cold winds. A good strong loamy 

 soil not too retentive of moisture, to the depth 

 of thirty inches or three feet, is most suitable 

 for an Orchard. Great attention must be 

 paid to the substratum so that the ground is 

 well drained, for if the top soil be ever so 

 good and the bottom be wet, it is a very rare 

 case to find that the trees will prosper for 

 many years, before they begin to be dis- 

 eased and go to decay. As it is so indispen- 



