a garden-department, confined entirely to the growth of standard fruit-trees, for furnishing a large supply of the most useful kinds of fruit.

In the orchard you may have, as standards, all sorts of apple-trees, most sorts of pears and plums, and all sorts of cherries: which four species are the capital orchard fruits; each of them comprising numerous valuable varieties. But to have a complete orchard, you may also have quinces, medlars, mulberries, service-trees, filberts, Spanish nuts, blackberries; likewise walnuts and chestnuts; which two latter are particularly applicable for the boundaries of orchards, to screen the other trees from the insults of impetuous winds and cold blasts. All the trees ought to be arranged in rows from 20 to 30 feet distance, as hereafter directed.

But sometimes orchards consist entirely of apple-trees, particularly in the cider-making counties, where they are cultivated in very great quantities in large fields, and in hedge-rows, for the fruit to make cider for public supply.

And sometimes whole orchards of very considerable extent are entirely of cherry-trees. But in this case, it is when the fruit is designed for sale in some great city, as London, &c. for the supply of which city, Orchards great numbers of large cherry-orchards are in some of the adjacent counties, but more particularly in Kent, which is famous for very extensive cherry-orchards; many of which are entirely of that sort called Kentish cherry, as being generally a great bearer; others are stored with all the principal sorts of cultivated cherries, from the earliest to the latest kinds. See Prunus Cerus.

A general orchard, however, composed of all the before-mentioned fruit-trees, should consist of a double portion of apple-trees or more, because they are considerably the most useful fruit, and may be continued for use the year round.

The utility of a general orchard, both for private use and profit, stored with the various sorts of fruit-trees, must be very great, as well as afford infinite pleasure from the delightful appearance it makes from early spring till late in autumn: In spring the various trees in blossom are highly ornamental; in summer, the pleasure is heightened by observing the various fruits advancing to perfection; and as the season advances, the mature growth of the different species arriving to perfection, in regular succession, from May or June, until the end of October, must afford exceeding delight, as well as great profit.

Of the proper Extent, Situation, and Soil, for this Department.] As to the proper extent of ground for an orchard, this must be proportioned, in some measure, to the extent of land you have to work on, and the quantity of fruit required either for private use or for public supply: so that an orchard may be from half an acre to 20 or more in extent.

With respect to the situation and aspect for an orchard, we may observe very thriving orchards both in low and high situations, and on declivities and plains, in various aspects or exposures, provided the natural soil is good: we should, however, avoid very low damp situations as much as the nature of the place will admit; for in very wet soils no fruit trees will prosper, nor the fruit be fine: but a moderately low situation, free from copious wet, may be more eligible than an elevated ground, as being less exposed to tempestuous winds; though a situation having a small declivity is very desirable, especially if its aspect incline towards the east, south-east, or southerly, which are rather more eligible than a westerly aspect; but a north aspect is the worst of all for an orchard, unless particularly compensated by the peculiar temperament or good quality of the soil.

And as for soil, any common field or pasture that produces good crops of corn, grass, or kitchen-garden vegetables, is suitable for an orchard, if it should prove of a loamy nature, it will be a particular advantage: any soil, however, of a good quality, not too light and dry, or too heavy, stubborn, or wet, but of a medium nature, of a soft, pliant temperature, not less than one spade deep of good staple, will be proper for this purpose.

Preparation of the Ground.] The preparation of the ground for the reception of trees, is by trenching; or, if for very considerable orchards, by deep ploughing; but trench-digging, one or two spades, as the soil will admit, is the most eligible, either wholly, or only for the present in the places where the lines of trees are to stand, a space of six or eight feet wide, all the way in each row, especially if it be grass-ground, and intended to be kept in the swaid; or if any under-crops are designed to be raised, the ground may be wholly trenched at first: in either case trench the ground in the usual way to the depth of the natural soil; and if in grass, turn the swaid clean to the bottom of each trench, which, when rotted, will prove an excellent manure.

In planting orchards, however, on grass-grounds, some only dig pits for each tree, capacious enough for the reception of the roots, loosening the bottom well, without the labour of digging any other part of the ground.

The ground must be fenced securely against cattle, &c. either with a good ditch and hedge, or with a palisade, as may be most convenient. See Hedge.

Method of planting the Trees.] The best season for planting all the sorts of fruit-trees is autumn, soon after the fall of the leaf, from about the latter end of October until December; or indeed it might be performed any time in open weather from October until March.

Choose principally full standards, with straight clean stems, six feet high; each with a branchy well-formed head, of from two or three to four or five years growth; and let several varieties of each particular species be chosen, that ripen their fruit at different times, from the earliest to the latest, according to the nature of the different sorts, that there may be a proper supply of every sort regularly during their proper season. Of apples and pears in particular, choose a much greater quantity of the autumnal and late-ripening kinds than of the early sorts; but most of all apples: for the summer-ripening fruit is but of short duration, only proper for temporary service; but the later-ripening kinds keep found some considerable time for autumnal use; and the latest sorts that ripen in October, continue in perfection for various uses all winter, and several sorts until the season of apples come again.

Having made choice of the proper sorts, and marked them, let them be taken up with the utmost care, so as to preserve all their roots as entire as possible; and when taken up, prune off any broken or bruised parts of the roots, and just tip the ends of the principal roots, in general, with the knife, on the under side, with a kind of slope outward.

If the trees have been already headed, or so trained as to have branched out into regular shoots to form each a proper head, they must be planted with the said heads entire, only retrenching or shortening any irregular or ill-placed shoot that takes an awkward direction, or grows across its neighbours, or such as may run considerably longer than all the rest, &c.

The arrangement of the trees in the orchard must be in rows, each kind separate, at distances according to the nature of growth of the different sorts; but for the larger growing kinds, such as apples, pears, plums, cherries, &c., they should stand from 25 to 30 or 40 feet every way aunder, though 25 or 30 feet at most is a reasonable distance for all these kinds.

Each species and its varieties should generally be in rows by themselves, the better to suit their respective modes of growth: tho' for variety, there may be some rows of apples and pears arranged alternately, as also of plums and cherries; and towards the boundaries there may be ranges of lesser growth, as quinces, medlars, filberts, &c. and the outer row of all may be walnut-trees, and some chestnuts, set pretty close to defend the other trees from violent winds.

According to the above distances, proceed to stake out the ground for making the holes for the reception of the trees; which if made to range every way, will have a very agreeable effect, and admit the currency of air, and the sun's influence more effectually.

But in planting very extensive orchards, some divide the ground into large squares or quarters, of different dimensions, with intervals of fifty feet wide between; serving both as walks, and for admitting a greater currency of air; in different quarters planting different sorts of fruit, as apples in one, pears in another, and plums and cherries in others, &c. and thus it may be repeated to as many quarters for each species and its varieties as may be convenient.

As to the mode of planting the trees: A wide hole must be dug for each tree, capacious enough to receive all the roots freely every way without touching the sides. When the holes are all ready, proceed to planting, one tree in each hole, a person holding the stem erect, whilst another trims in the earth, previously breaking it small, and casting it in equally all about the roots, frequently shaking the tree to cause the mould to settle in close about all the smaller roots and fibres, and so as to raise the tree gradually up, that the crown of the roots may be but two or three inches below the general surface; and when the hole is filled up, tread it gently, first round the outside, then near the stem of the tree, forming the surface a little hollow; and then if on the top of all is laid some inverted turf to the width of the holes, forming it with a fort of circular bank, three or four inches high, it will support the tree, and guard the roots from drying winds and the summer's drought: observing that each tree stand perfectly upright, and that they range exactly in their proper rows.