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THE JOURNALp M 



OF THE 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Of the 224,000 acres of orchards m Great Britain, defined 

 in the Agricultural Returns issued by the Board of Agricul- 

 ture as " arable or grass land used for fruit trees," all but 3 

 per cent, are situated in England ; and of the English acreage 

 so returned there are nearly 100,000 acres in the four counties 

 of Devonshire, Herefordshire, Somersetshire, and Worcester- 

 shire. In the first three of these counties this acreage con- 

 sists mainly of grass land planted with apple and pear trees. 

 In Worcestershire, also, a considerable proportion of the fruit 

 land is planted with apple and pear trees upon grass, though 

 there is a certain acreage of cultivated land planted with 

 standard fruit trees, as at Evesham, and some places on the 

 borders of the Severn. In other fruit-producing counties 

 part of the fruit land consists of grass orchards ; for instance, 

 in Kent, Gloucestershire, and Shropshire there is a con- 

 siderable percentage of grass land planted with standard 

 apple, pear, cherry, plum, and damson trees 



It is estimated that of the 218,000 acres of " orchards'' in 

 England, 170,000 acres consist of grass land planted with 

 fruit trees, and principally with apples and pears. From 

 the appearance ot these grass orchards it is evident, even 

 to those who know but little of fruit culture, that a large 



Vol. V. No. 1. JUNE, 1898. 



ENGLISH ORCHARDS. 



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