APP 
APP 
1 hey are planted; the surface soil should 
he strong yet friable loam, in depth not 
less than from a foot and a half to two 
feet, resting on a bed of porous ma¬ 
terial, whether gravel or other stones 
is immaterial, so that the presence of 
iron is not easily detected; clay is, in 
our opinion, the worst description of 
sub-strata, and should be removed to a 
depth below the reach of the roots, 
filling up the space with stones or 
similar material; of course this can only 
be effected in the case of a few trees, 
for to attempt it with an orchard of 
some acres would be out of the ques¬ 
tion ; the remedy then would be either 
a change of situation or very effective 
drainage, together with frequent deep 
stirrings for the first five or six years 
of the culture ; in every case the ground 
should be well drained in proportion to 
its texture and the nature of the sub¬ 
soil, for on this depends a great deal of 
the quality of the future fruit: for soil 
of average tilth, on a porous bed, drains 
should be cut at from twenty-five to 
forty feet distance from each other; 
while, on stiff retentive soil, with a 
bottom of clay, the number should be 
at least doubled, and the deeper they 
are placed the more effective will be 
their action. Draining should be per¬ 
formed early in autumn, and the ground 
thoroughly trenched before the winter, 
turning the turf into light soil, and if 
Of the contrary character, the turf and 
surface should be pared off and burnt 
to be afterwards dug in at the bottom 
of the trench; after lying through the 
winter in ridges, in the following Peb- 
ruary a good coat of manure should be 
spread over, and the whole turned hi 
by level digging, the land will then be 
in a fit state for the reception of the trees. 
Planting should be done early in 
March; as the trees are brought on to 
the ground, the shoots which form the 
head should be thinned and regulated 
by taking off the ends of the strongest 
in those places where an increase of 
branches is desirable ; the roots should 
also be carefully examined, shortening 
the points and removing all bruised or 
injured parts ; in planting, care should 
be taken to spread them out equally on 
all sides of the tree that it mav have an 
«/ 
equal support against winds from every 
quarter ; the depth at which they are 
placed should not exceed eight inches 
from the surface, or just sufficient to 
effectually cover them; a tripod of stakes, 
driven into the ground, and securely 
fastened to the stem in a manner that 
will not injure the bark by rubbing, 
will hold them in their places, and com¬ 
pletes the operation. Standard trees 
in an orchard should not stand nigher 
than twenty feet from each other, the 
space between being filled with currant 
or other low growing plants; we have 
no objection to light cropping between 
the rows in an orchard, providing the 
drain upon the soil is made up by liberal 
applications of manure, and, indeed, 
think it preferable to the common prac¬ 
tice of sowing over with grass, because 
the frequent stirring of soil, instead of 
being injurious to the roots of the trees 
as is generally supposed, has rather a 
contrary tendency, for, by thus facili¬ 
tating the entrance of air into the soil, 
it is kept pervious, an advantage mani¬ 
fest to the commonest observer, and 
familiar wherever fruit trees are grown 
in the kitchen-garden. Fruit trees, 
whether collected in large numbers as¬ 
suming the character of an orchard, or 
merely in small detached groups, should 
be screened from the cutting winds of 
the north and east; and, unless build ¬ 
ings or natural objects intervene, pro¬ 
vision should be made by planting a 
belt of forest trees in the required man¬ 
ner, these, however, should be at a 
distance sufficient to prevent the pos¬ 
sibility, in after growth, of any inter¬ 
ference either of the roots or branches. 
Cattle must be carefully excluded from 
the young trees, or means taken to 
prevent them browsing upon the bark 
of the stem or young branches, which 
they are certain to do, if at all possible, 
to the irreparable injury of the trees; 
hares and rabbits are equally mischievous 
in places where they abound, they may 
be deterred by binding the stems round 
with furze to a height above the ani¬ 
mals’ reach. 
