CULTURE, ETC. 247 



large orchards. Fortunately, for us, however, in some 

 kinds the trees themselves provide us shade for the ground, 

 when they are properly trained and closely planted, which 

 will prevent the intrusion of weeds and grasses, and the 

 falling leaves and spray will also yield a mulching of no 

 mean value. Indeed, the trimmings from the orchard, as 

 well as the decaying foliage that annually falls to the 

 ground, belong to the soil, and might be left upon it with 

 great, advantage to keep up its fertility by their decay, 

 and even to increase it, as they do in the natural forest, 

 were it not for the slovenly appearance they produce. 



Dr. Ward, of New Jersey, has practiced mulching 

 rather extensively, and with excellent results. He uses 

 salt hay from the marshes ; after plowing the ground in 

 the spring, he applies the mulching in a heavy layer, which 

 keeps down the weeds, preserves the moisture of the soil, 

 and exerts a very happy influence upon the trees. 



From what has preceded, the reader may infer that the 

 orchard is not to be used for a pasture field, and yet this 

 is a very common appropriation of the inclosure that con- 

 tains our fruit trees at least after they have attained suf- 

 ficient size to be considered out of the way of serious in- 

 jury. Let it not be supposed that the indiscriminate pas- 

 turing of an orchard is advocated ; on the contrary, it is 

 wholly deprecated, except as will be indicated below. 

 All stock will trample and harden the soil. Low-headed 

 trees will be sadly injured by live stock of all kinds. 

 Horses and mules will often ruin the trees by destroying 

 the bark, and trimming off the twigs, as high as they can 

 reach. Horned cattle will browse the spray, and where 

 within reach they will also break and twist branches of 



