On Orcharding. 157 
The Norfolk Bearifin, as one of the best kitchen and preserve apples ; 
and the French Crab, for its exti-aordinary durabihty, and therefore 
one of the most useful of apples, for culinary purposes. 
In j)lanting an orchard, I agree \vith the uTiter, that the soil must 
be duly prepared, but to effect this due preparation, I go much further 
than he does, at least if one may judge from the extract giA^en in the 
Horticultural Register. 
Those of your readers who may possess "The Domestic Gardener's 
Mamial,"* will not be at a loss to ascertain what I deem to be the es- 
sential requisites for insuring permanent fruitfulness, since in addition to 
many incidental remarks interspersed through the work, I have entered 
somewhat at large upon the subject of orchard planting, in the fourth 
part of the first section of October. I'o the directions there gi^^en, for 
the arrangement of orchards for espalier and dwarf-standard trees, I 
have added others, for the cultivation of the soil between the rows of 
trees, con'esponding uith a plan of general productive economy. 
I do not make any quotation fi'om the work itself, but may be par- 
doned, if I trespass so far iq)on your limits, as to furnish the details of 
the actual preparation and planting of a small piece of land, about a 
(piarter of an acre in extent ; in order to prove how much may be done 
by the members of a family, when a parent, and his sons, — ^though these 
be but little boys,-— devote mind and strength to the effecting of great, 
and even heavy, operations. 
The piece of land was a grass paddock, of an irregular, and some- 
what triangular figure, and required to be deeply trenched all over. In 
order to effect this, the surface \\'as set out in strips or lifts, of the 
average breadth of four yards and a half. Each trench was marked 
two feet wide, and the work of trenching was performed as described 
in the Gardeners Manual, so as lo retain the tipper stratum of earth 
at the top. This method of ti'enching, Mr. Cobbett claims as his own, 
exclusively; and as far as my reading and observations extend, I must 
avow, that I have never met with anything that has tended to impugn 
the justice of his claim. To avoid prolixity, I shall simply describe 
the mode by which the first trench Avas excavated and filled up. 
The whole piece was covered with inferior grass and clover, but the 
upper soil was an excellent, mellow, sandy loam, a quality calculated 
to promote the developement of the young fibrous roots ; the second 
spit was good, but more adhesive in its texture ; the third, approached 
to the nature of red brick-earth ; under that, there was either chalky 
marl, or a strong adhesive soil, abounding with flints. 
The turf of the trenches was paired off, to the thickness of two 
or three inches ; the upper stratum of soil was dug out to the depth 
of nine or ten inches, and removed to the end of the lift ; the second 
' An excellent M"ork, containing a fund of valuable information CONDUCTORS. 
