PYRAMID ORCHARDS 127 



which exists more in the workman than in his work, 

 as the absolute depth measured from the unbroken 

 surface to the lowest trench may not be really more 

 than eighteen inches, a great saving in a day's digging ! 

 Good work, from 22 to 24 inches, will probably cost 

 Is. 4cZ. to Is. 6d. per perch ; but much of course depends 

 on the quality of the soil. If the subsoil is wet and 

 heavy, draining is essential. Before breaking the 

 ground, dress with about fifteen tons of good manure. 

 This work should be done early in September, and the 

 ground should be ready to plant the second week, in 

 October, so that the plants may bear the advantage of 

 the warmth in the soil which has been stored up during 

 the summer. They will commence to root immediately 

 they are planted, and by the end of March of the 

 ensuing year — nearly six months — the roots will have 

 already made a good basis for the summer's growth. I 

 assume that the remainder of the acre will not be used 

 for stock, and that the orchard will not require fencing ; 

 but it will be evident that, if the orchard is fenced, it 

 will be much cheaper to enclose by a single fence than 

 as in ordinary orchards. To fence every individual tree 

 is an expensive and . unsatisfactory process, as usually 

 before the standards have made growth enough to stand 

 alone, the fencing rots. The next question is the 

 number of trees to be planted ; I assume that the ulti- 

 mate distance of each tree will be twelve feet apart. I 

 should therefore begin by planting two-year-old trees 

 at four feet apart. After two years' growth a second 



