1905.] National Fruit and Cider Institute. 



525 



more expensive and requires a longer time to make a tree. For 

 example, if one of these strong trees six or eight years old is 

 planted, it will be one, two, or perhaps three or four years before 

 it can be grafted in the head. Then it will be from two to five 

 or six years before the tree bears fruit. In Somerset the original 

 tree would cost four to five shillings. Head grafting would 

 come to eightpence per tree, and the age of the tree before it 

 bears (from original graft or bud), would be eight to fourteen 

 years. With the other system, which has been called the 

 " Hereford," a tree will bear at from four to six years old, the 

 cost being from two shillings to three and sixpence per tree. 



The New Orchard. 



In the new orchard the trees were planted at nine yards apart, 

 diagonally. Ten or twelve yards would have been better in 

 such good soil, but it was desired to plant as many varieties as 

 possible. The system of planting diagonally or on the square 

 has frequently been explained. By the former method 15 per 

 cent, more trees per acre can be planted, and still be the same 

 distance apart as on the square, because, although each tree in 

 the orchard is 27 ft. from another, the distance from row to row 

 is only 23 h Ft. All the holes or stations for trees were pegged 

 out at once. The first row was got in line by means of sighting 

 sticks and measured off exactly. The other rows were easily 

 taken from this by using a piece of string 27 ft. long as a pair 

 of compasses would be used in geometrical drawing. A fairly 



