176 
GARDENS AND ORCHARDS. 
scions and shoots, and the choice of such shoots" frbm 
the original variety, or as near it as may be, and not 
from trees that have been drawn forward, through 
many successive generations, from the original stock. 
But the true system of preserving and improving 
varieties of fruit is, by raising young and vigorous 
plants, from the pippin seed, or kernel, of healthy indi¬ 
viduals, whose productions are the most promising ; this 
being a sexual reproduction from the blossoms, formed 
from the most beautiful and perfect part of the plant, 
at the moment of its highest perfection, and being, as 
it were, the sport of nature in her most playful mo¬ 
ments of highest exhileration, a production may be ex¬ 
pected, that will vary from, and sometimes exceed, the 
parent stock ; and when a superior variety is produced, 
may be continued for a great length of time, by the 
usual method of reproduction from grafting. 
The same principle is applicable to potatoes, and 
other plants, which are generally cultivated by sets, 
shoots, or layers, instead of seeds. 
For an orchard Mr. Marshall prefers a south-east as¬ 
pect, screened to the north, though a blight is best 
partially avoided by having fruit in different aspects. 
Fruit-liquor is much affected in its flavour and quali¬ 
ties by the nature of the soil ; a loose soil on calcareous 
rock gives richness and high flavour to cyder ; a deep 
strong loam gives roughness and strength ; on the con¬ 
trary, the squash pear gives the highest flavoured li¬ 
quor fi;om deep strong land ; the pear tree loves sloping 
ground (Withering), in such situations it will flourish 
in cold clay (Marshall). 
In a mere orchard, half a chain is recommended as a 
proper distance for fruit trees every way, which is 40 
upon an acre ; in grass land, or cultivated ground, a 
chain. 
