140 THE MINIATUEE FEUIT GAKDEN 



Orchard trees, as a general rule, should -be planted 

 twenty-four feet apart, row from row, and they are for 

 the most part planted twenty-four feet apart in the rows, 

 so as to stand that distance apart over the whole orchard. 

 I now propose that the rows should be twenty-four feet 

 apart, but the trees twelve feet apart in the rows, so as 

 to allow of one-third more trees to the acre. • Instead 

 of digging large holes, slips four feet wide, six feet in 

 length, should be marked out on the turf, so that the 

 centre of each is twenty-four feet apart; each slip 

 should then be trenched, or, as it is often called, 

 ' double-dug,' to a depth of two feet, keeping the turf 

 at the surface of the trench and leaving the subsoil in 

 situ. A row of trees should be planted in the cpntre of 

 each slip, twelve feet apart, and after the lapse of some 

 fifteen or twenty years every alternate tree should be 

 either removed and replanted or grubbed up. As such 

 large standard trees would require much care in trans- 

 planting, and even then probably not succeed, the latter 

 may prove the more economic mode. By thus planting 

 more trees than required for a permanent orchard, a 

 great advantage is reaped, for the temporary trees will, 

 if the land is good, bear a large quantity of fruit, and 

 amply repay their cost, which is trifling ; for whereas 

 95 trees are required to plant one acre twenty-four 

 feet apart, by the above method 142 may be planted. 

 I have mentioned from fifteen to twenty years as the 

 probable time when the temporary trees may be re- 

 moved; as this depends entirely upon the quality of 



