THE ORCHARD. 
77 
let all the roots be taken up carefully, and 
before planting cut off every shoot in each 
root that grows downwards. Depend mostly 
on the surface roots, and if any straggle too 
far, cut them shorter. Take off also all bruised 
or ragged ends with a short knife, and they 
will be ready for planting. In proportion, 
however, to what the root has lost by pruning, 
so reduce the head, and especially let those 
branches which shoot directly upwards be 
shortened; for, of all inconvenient growths, the 
long growth upwards is the worst for gathering 
and everything else. Let these trees be 
planted within twenty feet of each other, in 
three rows, and the rows be forty feet apart. 
Let the rows run east and west, so that one 
side of the trees will have all the sun from 
rising till setting ; and, as the trees will in 
time pretty nearly join in the rows, the dis- 
tance of forty feet from row to row will always 
give room for the sun to shine even down to the 
roots on the south side of the rows; but, in 
the early years of an orchard, the trees ought 
to be encouraged to spread rather than tower 
aloft. The fruit will be better, and ripen better, 
for being near the ground ; and the branches 
should be kept thinned, that there may be 
plenty of air. For ten feet on each side 
the rows of trees the ground ought to be laid 
down to grass. This will leave twenty feet for 
cultivation of any kind between the rows, and 
the finest crops will be grown there, because 
the trees wiU afford great shelter from high 
winds, while there will be abundance of sun and 
air. The grass should always be cut before 
seeding, either for green meat for cattle, or to 
be made into hay, two or three times a year, as 
it will be found to grow freely in all weathers in 
such a sheltered situation. As to the crops be- 
tween the rows, they may be the usual kitchen- 
garden crops, or potatoes, turnips, carrots, 
mangold wertzel, &c, for cattle, or a regular 
routine of vegetables, and even corn, in its 
turn ; or it would be an excellent situation 
to grow things for seed. To the trees all 
this would be immaterial, and they would 
rather benefit than damage the crops, be they 
what they may. There is one advantage in 
planting trees in rows from east to west 
(some, by the way, prefer south-east to north- 
west, because, as they say, the east winds do 
not rake them so badly ; but we prefer due 
east to due west), and it is this — it makes two 
seasons of fruit to the trees, those on the 
south side invariably ripening sooner than 
those on the north ; and although it may be 
said that, place a tree where you will, there 
will be the same two seasons ; and so there 
may be, and is, no doubt ; but in this case 
there is no consideration wanted : one front 
of the row is one season, and the other front 
is another season, without our having the 
trouble to examine where the points of the 
compass are. The mode of planting tlie.se 
trees is to make shallow holes, well loosened 
at the bottom, and quite as large as the roots 
spread. Keep the collar of the plant — that is, 
the place where the tap roots spring from — 
quite up to the surface, and put the mould 
well between all the roots, treading firmly, but 
not driving the roots too low down. Let them 
be staked into their places, that the wind may 
not disturb them, for that is highly injurious, 
because it not only unsettles the young trees, 
but it breaks the fine roots, which, being 
trodden in well, are held fast while the tree is 
bent away from them, and the tender ones 
must give way. It may be urged that this 
is a most extravagant distance to plant an 
orchard, and so it is, if ground be scarce ; but 
remember, not a foot is wasted. It is all 
grass land, or arable land : it is all paddock or 
garden. It is the way to grow fruit in good 
order, to keep trees in good health, and to 
|ast many years. If you want to grow more 
for present convenience, and cannot spare the 
room, why go another way to work : plant 
your apples and pears twenty feet apart every 
way ; then, instead of getting fifty trees into 
an acre, you get a hundred ; but if there be 
any subject in the growth of which people are 
covetous, and grow to waste, it is fruit. What 
family consumes the produce of a hundred 
well-attended orchard trees ? and yet, what 
orchard with a hundred trees, (grown as trees 
are grown now in private orchards) ever sup- 
plied a family with enough ? It is the bane 
of fruit-growing in old orchards, that what 
with the blight, the canker, and the fruit 
which falls, very little sound fruit, fit for 
storing, is gathered, though there are trees 
enough to supply a whole village, if they were 
good ones. Give us two acres of nice loamy 
ground, in which we might plant, our fashion, 
about three trees of some of the sorts we have 
mentioned, and one or two of others, toge- 
ther with plums, cherries, a walnut or two, 
a mulberry, one or two medlars, &c. (all 
of which we shall come to in time), and 
keep the portions between the rows for a 
kitchen garden, and we should think our 
two acres well laid out ; although ws 
should prefer a snug kitchen garden, with 
walls, and a house or two, and pits for the 
growth of choice vegetables ; and keep the 
orchard for spare crops, or heavy ones, not 
requiring so much attention. Of the plums that 
we should plant in an orchard where the trees 
have room, as we propose, and are to be kept 
in good order by pruning, there are the Green- 
gage, Orleans, Coe's Golden Drop, Purple Mo- 
rocco, Washington, Imperatrice, Magnum Bo- 
num,Wine Sour,Goliah, and Cant's Late Green- 
gage; every one of which is useful, and will 
