6 
THE FORMATION OF THE KITCHEN GARDEN AND ORCHARD. 
north side of the ground, so as not to shade 
any of the others. 
THE ORCHARD. 
There is so little difference in the condi- 
tions necessary to form a good orchard and a 
good kitchen garden, that what has been said 
with reference to aspect, soil, and preparation, 
in the one case, is also applicable in the other. 
An orchard may be enclosed by a wall or other 
substantial fence suitable for training the ten- 
derer kinds of fruit against, but it is more 
usually enclosed by a low fence and hedge, 
the walls of the kitchen garden affording in 
most cases what is regarded as sufficient ac- 
commodation for the finer kinds of fruit. The 
question is simply one of expense. When the 
cost of building a wall, and of preparing for 
and properly looking after the trees, is not an 
objection, such an arrangement would be in 
perfect accordance with the objects of an 
orchard. In this case, however, the smaller 
kinds and the dwarf trees only should be 
planted nearest to the wall, in order that the 
latter may not be shaded ; neither should any 
be planted within the distance of an ordinary 
fruit-tree border. 
Low, damp, or what are called early situ- 
ations, are very unsuitable for orchards. Each 
of these favour early growth in spring ; and 
it is the early development of the blossoms 
while they are still liable to suffer from se- 
vere " spring frosts," and are unprotected by 
foliage, in which lies the greatest risk of losing 
the fruit crop. An elevated and comparatively 
backward situation is therefore an essential 
condition of success. 
Wherever standard fruit trees are grown, 
an orchard of greater or less extent ought to 
be provided for them, for nothing is worse 
than to have such trees growing in the vege- 
table garden among the culinary crops ; it 
prevents either the one or the other from at- 
taining their proper perfection, the vegetables 
being injured by the continual shade of the 
fruit trees, and the latter suffering both from 
the repeated diggings which are required, and 
also from the amount of manure which is ne- 
cessarily applied to the former. The orchard 
may advantageously be situated near the 
kitchen garden, and if it can conveniently be 
placed on the exposed side, it may serve as 
a means of shelter. 
Another general consideration is this : — 
Few soils are adapted to grow every kind of 
fruit to perfection, and the wholesale renewal 
of the soil to render it adapted for each kind 
of tree is too expensive an operation. All 
that can be done is to approximate as nearly 
as possible to what would be desirable in this 
respect by partial renovation, and to plant 
chiefly of those kinds of fruit for which the 
soil is most suitable, and limit the number of 
those for which it is not adapted. 
The trees in an orchard should be planted 
in quincunx order; that is, they should stand 
in lines, the plants in one line alternating 
laterally with those in the next line, or stand- 
ing opposite those in the second line, thus : — 
This arrangement, while it occupies the 
ground to the best advantage, also secures the 
largest possible space on all sides for each 
individual plant. In fact, this is the principle 
on which all crops, whether of vegetables or 
fruit, should be planted. The trees must not 
be indiscriminately mixed ; it is better to 
select the. strongest growing kinds of trees, 
and have these planted together at greater 
distances apart, the smaller growing kinds 
being also planted together, and, if required, 
somewhat closer than the others. The larger 
growing trees should not be planted at less 
than forty feet apart, and the smaller ones in 
proportion. Where there is space, however, 
it will be better to plant them at greater 
distances, in order to secure a free circulation 
of air on all sides of the trees. They ought 
at all times to stand quite clear of each other, 
so as not to be in any degree crowded or 
materially shaded. 
Fruit trees are some years arriving at per- 
fection, and, consequently, it is very important 
that not only should a good selection of kinds 
be made and planted, but also that these should 
be obtained quite true to name. Too little 
attention is paid to this matter in many 
nursery gardens, and grievous have been the 
disappointments of detecting spurious fruits 
after several years of anxious cultivation. 
Hence it is infinitely better, though at a higher 
cost, to ensure, as far as possible, that the 
kind selected are true to their names. It is 
by no means desirable to very much extend 
the number of varieties to be planted ; a good 
and limited selection adapted to furnish a pro- 
per succession from the extreme beginning to 
the end of the season being more advantageous 
in every respect than the mere possession of 
a very extensive collection of varieties. 
When, however, many kinds are required to be 
cultivated as a fancy, several may be grafted 
together on one tree ; in this way they will 
succeed well enough, if those of similar habits 
are placed together. Where it is found that 
spurious varieties have been planted, it is 
better to change them by grafting or budding 
the growing trees, rather than to have re- 
course to replanting. 
