THE ORCHARD GARDEN 83 



exquisitely beautiful, so essentially good in form, that to 

 neglect them as a decorative asset is to deprive ourselves 

 of many garden pictures otherwise unattainable. Who 

 with an eye for floral loveliness can resist the charm 

 of an orchard in spring ? The chequered shadows on 

 the grass, the vista of grey twisted trunks, the fairy 

 canopies of blossom — silver, pink, and the colours of 

 nacre. Or in autumn, when the ripening fruit gleams 

 through a haze of saffron, russet, brown and gold. 

 The cider orchards of Normandy and in our native 

 Devonshire — in blossom time like fleecy clouds upon 

 the hills — are surpassingly beautiful ; what gardens 

 might not many of them become ! 



As to sacrifice, if a lessened possibility of first class 

 crops may so be called, it need not concern those who 

 do not seek to make a living from the produce of their 

 trees. To grow fruit to a commercial profit, it is 

 necessary no doubt to adopt the least picturesque of 

 cultural systems. The very presence of turf is then 

 injurious, the beautiful and natural tree forms must give 

 place to dwarf bushes, which, grafted on the Paradise 

 and other quick maturing stocks, give an early return, 

 but destroy for ever all the grace and character of the 

 various hardy trees. There is no beauty in the market 

 plantation with its stiff lines of trees, its undercropping of 

 bush fruits, and the bare earth devoid of freshness and 

 colour. The production of fruit is here the only 

 consideration ; nothing else matters. 



But in the old style orchard attached to the country 

 home we may have fruit and grateful scenes besides ; 

 for it must not be supposed that the orchard beautiful 

 means the orchard neglected. Pruning, spraying and 

 manuring may go on as before, and sound, healthy crops 

 be gathered during autumn days ; but in addition there 

 will be the interest of a garden during the greater part 

 of the year. Daffodils and Star Narcissi in spring. 



