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Rather lose a season, and either let the land lie fallow or take a crop of hay; 
corn, or pumpkins off it, than plant the trees in soil that is in a totally unfit 
condition to grow them, as irees stunted at first never do as well as those that 
grow right away without check, and it will be found that the loss of a season 
will be more than made good by the increased vigour and growth of the trees. 
FENCING. 
Fence the orchard well before plantingatree; put up a good fence—not a 
light cheap fence, as such fences are not suitable for orchards, and are always 
the dearest in the end. ‘The orchard fence should always be proof against all 
farm stock; and when hares, rabbits, or marsupials are present, it should be 
proof against these animals as well, as any of them, especially hares and rabbits, 
do great damage in an orchard. Where timber is plentiful and good, posts 
and rails make the best fence, with netting on the outside if required. When- 
ever netting is to be used, one side of the posts should be hewn square, so that 
the netting will lie well against the posts, and can be easily fastened to them. 
Where timber is not so plentiful, then a good wire fence with strong posts 
9 feet apart, and heavy straining-posts every 5 chains, makes an excellent 
fence. Where wire-netting is required, use the best, 3 feet 6 inches wide and 
of 13-inch mesh, for hares and rabbits ; bury 6 inches of the netting in the 
ground, staple the netting firmly to the posts; and in the case of a wire fence, 
tie the top of the netting to a wire in the fence placed at the same height. 
Always put the wire-netting on the outside of the fence, as if placed on 
the inside there is a possibility of rabbits getting over. Netting in the 
orchard is the only certain precaution against hares and rabbits, and, though 
expensive, it will soon pay the cost of its erection, as an unprotected orchard. 
is quickly destroyed by these pests. Use good paled gates, the palings close 
enough together to prevent any vermin from getting in, and hang the gates 
on good, heavy posts, that should in no case be used as straining-posts, 
but as gate-posts only. Place a good hardwood sill between the posts, and 
hang the gates so that there is no room for vermin to crawl between the 
bottom of the palings and the sills. If this is done and the gates are kept 
closed, you will have a fence that is proof against all vermin. Cheap gates 
hung on poor posts or on straining-posts are useless for orchards, as they are 
always getting out of order; whereas a good gate, well hung on good posts, will 
last for many years. 
LAYING OUT THE ORCHARD. 
When an orchard is once planted it is likely to stand many years; there- 
fore it pays to devote extra care to laying it out accurately, as there are few 
prettier sights than a well taid-out orchard, and no greater eyesore to every 
intelligent fruit-grower than an orchard which appears to haye had the trees 
broadcasted rather than systematically arranged. In planting an orchard the 
land should be so laid out that the trees are in rows every way, no matter what 
angle they are looked at—in fact, the best test of accurate planting is to have 
the trees on the long stems correctly in line. Correct planting, besides adding 
considerably to the attractive appearance of an orchard, is also of the greatest 
assistance in working the land, as the work can be done much more easily and 
expeditiously than when the trees are unevenly planted, and one has te dodge 
round trees with horses when cultivating in order to prevent the plough or 
cultivator from running into them. ‘There are several systems or methods of 
arranging the trees by which the land may be laid off with the greatest 
accuracy, and it is simply a matter of opinion as to which system is the best. 
The following are the ordinary methods of planting, namely :—Planting in 
Squares ; Hexagons, sometimes called septciple or equilateral triangle method - 
(and erroneously called quincunx) ; Quincunx; Alternating Squares. 
Planting in Squares.—Personally, I prefer pianting in squares to any 
other method, as it is the simplest and best for cultivation; and though more 
trees can be planted on the same area of Jand if set out in hexagons, this is, in 
