GRAVESEND. 375 



therein grow not only the best and finest flavoured 

 Cherries, Kersbar, in England, but also, if anyone will 

 give credit to their account, in the whole world. Which- 

 ever way one goes out of Gravesend, as well as farther 

 out in the country, one sees almost everywhere near the 

 farms, large fields and orchards, parcker, planted only 

 with Cherry trees. In other places are found large 

 orchards of Apples [T. II. p. 10] and Pears, Aplen ocb. 

 Paron, either planted separately by themselves or also 

 mixed with Cherry trees. The Cherry trees are planted 

 ordine quincunciali* The ground, Marken, under them 

 lies in some places entirely in grass, i linda, and is 

 used either as meadow or pasture. 



On the south side of Northfleet Church was a large 

 orchard of Cherry trees. The earth between the Cherry 

 trees was ploughed up, made fine, and sown with wheat, 

 which was now standing there as luxuriant and flourish- 

 ing as at any place I saw on this country side. From 

 the cultivated appearance of the soil it seemed as though 

 they had long availed themselves of this land for 

 ploughing. Several Apple trees were also planted here. 

 The Cherry trees were now full of fruit, bar. The soil had 

 apparently been well cared for, because it was not 

 noticeable that the trees made the wheat thinner or 

 poorer immediately under them. 



When I was over in that part of Essex which lies 

 immediately opposite Gravesend, I remarked that almost 

 everywhere where I wandered about I scarcely ever got 

 to see any Cherry trees, much less any whole orchard of 

 them, and not nearly so many as around Gravesend, in 

 Kent. This caused me to ask the people in the villages 



* Quincunx. Adam, Roman Antiquities [1791, 2nd ed., 1792], in the 

 9th ed., 1822, p. 364, figures this two deep, that is to five parallel rows wide. 



[J- L] 



