English Orchards. 



proportion of them is not producing half as much fruit as 

 it should, and that a great deal of the fruit yielded 

 is of a common kind and of a poor quality. Even 

 in counties where the general fruit cultivation is 

 carried out intelligently and well, as in Kent, Gloucester, and 

 Shropshire, there are grass apple orchards in nearly as bad a 

 condition as those of the western counties. Nothing short of 

 grubbing the existing trees and replanting the orchards 

 entirely would be satisfactory, but they have been allowed 

 to remain year after year in the hope of a good crop, which 

 only a miracle could bring about. This state of things, 

 which exists in the majority of grass orchards, has been 

 caused by various forms of neglect and mismanagement, the 

 primary being the- unfortunate selection of unsuitable 

 varieties of fruit trees, and indifference with regard to the 

 origin, size, vigorous habit, and healthy appearance of the 

 young fruit trees planted. It must be said, however, that the 

 choice of varieties of apples was comparatively limited when 

 the greater part of the apple and pear orchards were 

 originally planted, and the stocks for grafting, and the grafts 

 were in many cases not chosen judiciously or properly 

 worked ; hut even in these later days, when many new and 

 approved varieties of apples and pears have been introduced, 

 not much effort has been made to obtain them. The 

 scientific and practical knowledg-e of stocks and their 

 influence, and of grafting, has greatly improved ; 

 but there is much hesitation to adopt so-called new- 

 fangled methods. In the cider-making districts there 

 has been a serious falling-off in the quality of cider, 

 mainly because sufficient care has not been taken in 

 selecting the varieties of apples planted, and in the general 

 management of the orchards, so that there has been a 

 gradual deterioration in the quality, and a decrease in the 

 quantity, of juice produced. Simila-r complaints are made 

 concerning French cider, and it is said that the cider formerly 

 produced in France, of which the old authors wrote in such 

 glowing terms, is scarcely to be met with now. And with 

 regard to apples for dessesrt or culinary purposes, the 

 attempts to improve the size, colour, and flavour of the fruit 



