THE FRUIT GARDEN. 



309 



even in the remembrance of several people still living, it has 

 so much degenerated, as to be very unlike to what it was in 

 the early part of their remembrance. We meet with few good 

 pears among the many old trees existing in those old orchards, 

 but we may reasonably satisfy ourselves that they were fruits 

 of great merit when in their prime. The most probable cause 

 of this degeneracy is their having stood for many years upon 

 the same spot, and, by the absorption of their roots, annually 

 exhausted that nourishment, which is destined by nature for 

 them, to which it may be added, that no fresh food is supplied 

 them by the addition of manures, or other matters containing 

 the necessary food of plants. It is probable, if some fruit-trees 

 were supplied, as occasion required, with proper food, they 

 might live as long as the poet has ever supposed the oak to live. 

 We observe in the lower orders of vegetables, that change ol 

 place is necessary for them ; a plant whose roots are prisoned 

 within a pot, soon exhausts all the nutriment in the ball of 

 earth that surrounds the roots^ and when that is the case, it 

 soon ceases to flourish ; but if re-potted, and fresh mould given 

 it to live in, it soon shows the change by assuming its wonted 

 luxuriance. Hence we see the necessity of choosing good 

 soil, either naturally or artificially made, for our fruit-trees. 



CHAP. L 



SITUATIONS AND SOILS FOR FRUIT-TREES. 



Fruit-trees are planted either for the supply of the pro- 

 prietor's own table, or on a larger scale for profit, by disposing 

 of the produce in the market, or in making the well-known 

 liquors, cider and perry. 



Plantations of fruits for the latter purposes may be con- 

 sidered under the same head, as they are for the most part 

 cultivated in what is generally called an orchard, and the sorts 

 are neither so select nor so well cultivated. Those for the 

 former purpose are cultivated on a less scale, and the selectiop 



