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JOUENAL OF EOBTICULTUKE AXD COTIAGE GARDENER. 



June 15, 1871. 



Norman ancestors. It was most likely cultivated in the more 

 civilised part of England before the Christian era, and, pro- 

 bably, Kent being the most advanced district in the country in 

 the arts of civilised life, might be as famous for its fruit at 

 that early period as it is now ; but we will not go into this 

 matter as but little light is thrown upon it, but there is reason 

 to believe that during the latter years of the Eoman occupation 

 of this country this Iruit was as plentiful as it was several 

 centuries afterwards. The troublesome period of the Saxon, 

 Danish, and early Norman occupations being at variance with 

 the cultivation of everything but that wanted for the neces- 

 sities of everyday life, no doubt, restricted its growth to a 

 few places less turbulent than the rest ; and monasteries, and 

 other religious establishments became the principal fruit- 

 growers of the kingdom, and to them we are, doubtless, in- 

 debted for the earlier varieties of this fruit, until the inter- 

 course with the Continent brought further consignments of 

 trees, and no doubt but these were planted on the most favour- 

 able sites that could be had. Orchards became more plentiful 

 as more peaceful times came round, and instead of the Apple 

 being confined to the table of the abbot and the noble, the 

 peasant eventually came in for his share, and in his turn con- 

 tributed not a little to improve the culture of the kinds then 

 known, as well as now and then to introduce fresh ones. And 

 at the present time there is certainly no lack of varieties to 

 choose from, and the number is ever increasing, while some 

 good old kinds still retain as high a name as ever. Although 

 it must be admitted that some of these kinds are to all appear- 

 ance about worn out, as the Eibston Pippin, for instance, still 

 some kinds that were contemporary with it retain a respect- 

 able place still in the market lists. But we now come to the 

 first important feature in the cultivation of this tree, and one, 

 perhaps, that above all others determines its well-doing or 

 otherwise, and that is the 



Soil and Situation for an Apple Orchard. — And as this may, 

 perhaps, be regarded as the most important matter in the 

 paper, I may be excused dwelling more at length upon it than 

 may be necessary with any of the other fruits. As many of 

 the observations here given will bold good with them, I may at 

 first say that one of the primary conditions to a successful 

 result is only to plant this fruit where it is likely to do well. 

 True, many, if not all, soils can be made so as to enable the 

 tree to do tolerably well, but the expense of so doing will not 

 insure that return for money expended, which is so essential a 

 condition with the grower for market. Where, therefore, the 

 soil and situation seem at variance with the well-being of an 

 orchard, we emphatically say, Do not attempt one. The amateur, 

 or gentleman, to whom the pleasure of eating his own fruit is 

 a luxury, for which he is willing to give more than double the 

 price the fruit would fetch in the market, may exercise his 

 hobby in overcoming the obstinate tenacity of a piece of Btiff 

 clayey land he wants to make into an orchard, and flatter 

 himself he has accomplished a great feat in fruit culture, and 

 we are far from denying bim all due merit in the case, but 

 such an expenditure of money is not likely to be repaid to the 

 grower for market. Again, we say, Do not plant in wet land, 

 although you may think scientific draining will put it all right. 

 Land for an orchird ought not to require draining, it being so 

 much better for that operation to be done by Nature. Shallow 

 poor soil, with an impenetrable subsoil, is even worse than 

 Btiff clay, as the latter can be improved by tillage, but some of 

 the subsoils of certain districts contain so much that is per- 

 nicious to all vegetation, as to be next to sterile, and totally 

 unfit for the growth of fruit trees ; and we may here observe 

 that the Apple, and, in fact, all fruit trees derive a great amount 

 of nourishment from the subsoil, and they rarely do well when 

 his is not to their liking, and I believe the best examples of 

 fruitfulness are to be found in those orchards where the 

 subsoil, or understratum, is of a kind that invites the roots 

 downwards without entailing any of those evils which follow 

 when the roots come in contact with deleterious matter, and 

 the Vale of the Medway presents many examples of this kind, 

 while I should think some of the waste lands in the neighbour- 

 hood, as Barming and Cannon Heath, to be composed of a thin 

 poor soil, with a hard panny bottom impervious to the action 

 of roots, or nearly so ; but as I speak only from appearances, 

 it is possible I may be wrong. Generally speaking, where a 

 subsoil consists of a reddish-coloured material that water will 

 scarcely soak tbiough, it may be regarded as poor and unfit 

 for orchard purroaes, yet industry has often brought such 

 patches into a high state of cultivation ; yet it is questionable 

 if they can ever be made profitable as orchard grounds. Never- 



theless, the Apple, and most other fruits, are so accommodat- 

 ing, that they are often found thriving in soils and situations 

 diametrically opposite to each other. Witness the fine plant- 

 ations of fruit trees in the neighbourhood of Snodland, on laud 

 raised but a very few feet above high-water mark, and on a soil 

 that at some former period, not very remote, perhaps, had 

 been covered with water, and although deep and rich in many 

 of the requirements of vegetation, would seem better adapted 

 to husbandry purposes than that of a fruit orchard. On ths 

 other hand, we may see the same kinds of fruits planted and 

 thriving on the dry flinty slopes of the range of chalk hills that 

 traverse this country from west to east, but I believe the best 

 and most productive orchards are on soils different from both 

 of these, yet I am far from certain which of the two soils I 

 mention (and they differ much from each other), are the best> 

 Both have their peculiarities, and both their advantages, and. 

 fruit is extensively grown on both of them. 



The two kinds of soils here alluded to are those resting re- 

 spectively on the limestone and sandstone formations. The 

 former, which will be better understood if the term Kentish 

 rag be applied to it, embraces large tracts of the beat land in 

 the neighbourhood of Maidstone, extending to Mailing, Water- 

 ingbury, and with occasional breaks to Boughton Monchelsea,. 

 and other places. The healthy character of this material as a 

 subsoil is evinced by the vigorous growth of most kinds of 

 forest trees, whose roots descend to a depth that would hardly 

 be credited, where the position is favourable for their doing so ; 

 and the same may be said of many orchards, as, for instance,, 

 those of Farleigh and other places, and from what I have seen 

 of the condition of the Apple trees in this county, coupled with, 

 what I have seen of the same in other counties, I should be 

 disposed to give the preference to a soil of this kind to that of 

 any other, where situation and other considerations were favour- 

 able, a deep surface soil and plenty of stones being its usual 

 characteristics, and in colour it is rather a light grey, not so 

 white when dry as a chalky soil, but without any tinge of yellow 

 in it. Such a soil produces the largest elm timber, and the 

 best feeding pastures, the abundance of calcareous matter it 

 contains being favourable to the latter purpose, yet it does not 

 exist in so great a proportion as to approach the chalky cha- 

 racter, but is so happily balanced as to be capable of supporting 

 some of our largest timber trees, and I may say some fruit trees 

 also, for a greater number of years than any other description 

 of soil. But enough has been said on this head. Let us now 

 turn to another kind of soil, differing considerably from the- 

 one described, and yet possessing very important features of 

 its own. And this is the B',.il resting on the sandstone forma- 

 tion, which embraces a considerable portion of the southern 

 edge of this county, from Benenden westward on to Tunbridge 

 Wells, and still further. This fertile district might, perhaps,.. 

 have been still more favourable to the growth of trees had the 

 sardstone on which it rests, and of whose decompositifu it may 

 be said to consist, been of a more durable character, for so 

 completely has it disappeared in many places, that but few 

 traces are left of its existence ; but the presence of iron in the 

 soil is evident in many places, especially at Brenchley, where 

 the bed of a small rivulet is red with it. This soil certainly 

 produces Apples of a different character from those grown on 

 the ragstone formation, the same varieties differing widely in. 

 the two places, and there seems no question of the superiority 

 of the cider made in the sandstone district to that of the 

 other, but whether the market basket is as well filled is another 

 matter. Most likely many gentlemen here can answer this- 

 question better than I can ; but if I ventured an opinion I 

 would say the ragstone district produced the best sample. But 

 possibly this may form a subject for comment. 



While here alluding to the character of the cider made in 

 this county, I believe I am right in saying, that the best dis- 

 tricts in the west of England for producing this drink resemble 

 in some degree that of the sandstone country alluded to, and 

 with the same absence of calcareous matter. Some orchards of 

 the Dupplin Apple, so famed for its cider in the west, I have 

 seen growing on soil I should take to resemble that of Brenchley, 

 on some hillsides in Cornwall, and the produce was said to be 

 excellent, but I do not think the sample of fruit would satisfy 

 the salesman at Oovent Garden, although some fruits grown 

 there were of a good size. But in that district climate is as 

 important an affair as soil, and as our purpose is not neces- 

 sarily connected with the qualities of cider, the digression need 

 not proceed further. But one peculiarity I may mention here, 

 and one to which I would call most especial attention to, and 

 that is the fact of these trees in the far-west being almost 



