ORCHARDS, 309 



it does not necessarily follow that the cultivation of fruit 

 trees in grass should take the form of an orchard. There 

 are many gardens in which one or more fruit trees might 

 be grown on the lawn as shelter trees, as well as for 

 yielding fruit; and, as the cultural details are precisely 

 the same for both, the remarks hereafter given will apply 

 to the two methods of cultivation. 



Site. So far as the orchard is concerned, the first ques- 

 tion to settle is the site. The ideal position would be 

 land sloping to the south-west. Trees grown thus are 

 not so likely to have their blossoms injured by frost as 

 on a south or south-east aspect. In both the latter cases 

 the early morning sun is apt to cause a sudden thaw of 

 the frozen blooms, and thus destroy the organs of fruc- 

 tification. Orchards, too, should never be placed in damp, 

 low-lying situations below the fog line, as in such positions 

 there would be a great risk of injury to the blossoms by 

 late frosts. Keep well above the fog line. 



Shelter. In exposed positions shelter from the east 

 and north winds and south-westerly gales is indispensable. 

 Formerly it was the practice to plant forest trees, as elms, 

 poplars, etc., to act as shelter trees, but this was a most 

 unwise plan, as the roots of both travel a good distance, 

 and rob the adjoining fruit trees of a good deal of their 

 sustenance. A far better plan is to plant Damsons, or 

 such hardy Pears as Fertility, Chalk, Lammas, and 

 Bishop's Thumb ; or Apples, as Northern Greening, Afris- 

 ton, Annie Elizabeth, and Royal Jubilee, round the 

 eastern, northern, and south-western boundaries. These, 

 planted in a zigzag fashion I2ft. apart, would soon form 

 a dense shelter, and yield plenty of fruit into the bargain. 



Soil. For Apples, a deep, well-drained loam or marl 

 is preferable. Light, gravelly, sandy, or chalky soils do 

 not give good results. Pears do best on a lighter or 

 medium soil ; Plums succeed satisfactorily on a soil in- 

 clined to be heavy; and Cherries require a moderately 



