one Se me arenas Lys NS eee nt Stn Fe eee Raa es = ria tara * EYBRARY | NEW YORK BOTANICAL i GARDEN ' re r * : re 7 ie if 4 A, ne vated i “ | . a ; fet as er } arg 4! ~ 9 Fg aoe 7 4 i Y ¥ ! i] - 5 » “a ‘ vn os 4 » ty aa » “ ‘ 7 4 j ‘ «, ir ; 4 . ix 7 a ‘ ; ‘ . ’ . z \ al 7 Fe ' ne : is i ' ‘ it ie i THE APPLE & PEAR AS VINTAGE FRUITS. The technical descriptions of the fruit are for the most part by MOB P HOGG, LL.D. F.L.35; Honorary Member of the Woolhope Naturalists’ Field Club; Vice-President of the Royal Horticultural Society; Author of ‘ The Fruit Manual’ ; ‘British Pomology’; ‘ The Vegetable Kingdom and its Products’, Se., Se. Lope ever.” GENERAL EDITOR: HENRY GRAVES BULL, M.D. &c, J.P. for the City and County of Hereford, MeEMBRE HONORAIRE DE LA SOCIETE CENTRALE D’ HORTICULTURE DE LA SEINE-INFERIEURE, FRANCE. HEREFORD : PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY JAKEMAN & CARVER. ~ 1886, PE CLES PHILLIPS ! PoMONA’S BARD! THE SECOND THOU WHO NOBLY DURST, IN RHYME UNFETTERED VERSE, WiTH BRITISH FREEDOM SING THE BRITISH SONG: How, FROM SILURIAN VATS, HIGH SPARKLING WINES FOAM IN TRANSPARENT FLOODS; SOME STRONG, TO CHEER THE WINTRY REVELS OF THE LABOURING HIND ; AND TASTEFUL SOME, TO COOL THE SUMMER HOURS. THOMPSON, Autumn. PR EB AC. Ee. ** Quid sit pulchrum, quid turpe, quid utile quid nons.” Horace, Lib. I., Ep. II., 3. A century has nearly elapsed since any systematic British work has been published on the Apple and Pear, as Vintage Fruits, their varieties, cultivation and management. Marshall first published his work on ‘‘ Rural Economy” in 1789, and Thomas Andrew Knight’s treatise on “ The Culture of the Apple and Pear” appeared in 1797. Mr. Knight’s last work, the ‘“ Pomona Herefordensis,” was published in 1811, and in this some thirty varieties of Fruit are so beautifully represented, that it will ever retain its interest. Mr. Knight may be said to have been the first to point out, that the real value of Cider Apples and Perry Pears must be sought in the richness of their juices, as shown by their density or specific gravity ; but his studies, in this direction, ended here. The stirring events of the time absorbed all interest, and the profits of agriculture from the growth of cereals, and the production of cattle, threw the Orchards into a state of neglect, from which they have yet to recover. In these days the changes of commerce have again brought Apple culture into consideration, and it has become a matter of importance to attend more carefully to the Orchards, and to bring Science to the aid of individual effort as derived from practical experience. vi. PREFACE. The first active measures for the improvement of the Cider Orchards were taken on the Continent. La Société Centrale a’ Horticulture de la Seine-Inférieure appointed a Pomological Committee, presided over by Monsieur C. Lesueur, of Rouen, for the special study of Cider and Perry fruits, which had worked for some years, when in the Spring of 1862, the Society extended its operations by calling to its aid all persons interested in the Orchards. By these efforts, assisted by those of Messieurs de Boutteville, of Rouen, Michelin, of Paris, Thierry, of Caen, and several of the leading pomologists of France, the Government was induced in 1864, to appoint a CONGRES POUR L’ETUDE DES FRUITS A CIDRE, with its centre of operations at Rouen. This Congress held its meetings successively in the leading Cider districts of France, viz.: at Caen (Calvados) in 1864, where it first took a definite form ; at Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine) in 1865 ; at Alengon (Orne) 1866; at Beauvais (Oise) 1867 ; at Saint Lo (Manche) 1868; at Bayeux (Calvados) 1869; and at Yvetot (Seine-Inférieure) in 1871. The results of all these labours were arranged systematically, by Messieurs L. de Boutteville and A. Hauchecorne, and published in 1875, under the title of “ Le Cidre.” This work is of a highly scientific and com- prehensive character. It is thoroughly practical, and it has rendered very great service to the Orchards of Normandy. The SocriTk CENTRALE D’HORTICULTURE DE LA SEINE INFERIEURE has continued its labours since this period, with the same energy and perseverance, until at the present time, the Society has nearly four hundred varieties of Cider Apples and Perry Pears, modelled in wax, and carefully coloured to Nature, in the rooms at the Hétel des Sociétés Savantes, at Rouen. These fruits have all been carefully examined, and their juices analysed. A Catalogue has been drawn up, which gives in a tabular form the name of each variety ; its periods of blossoming and of maturity ; the flavour of the fruit ; the quality and density of the juice, and the amount of Sugar, Alcohol and Tannin it affords; together with a brief notice of the general character and habit of the tree. The Fruits in the Catalogue are divided into Classes according to merit, and for the convenience of distinction a colour is attached to each Class. PREFACE. Vii. The First Class (Cartes Jaunes) consists of ‘excellent ” Apples, and it gives twenty four varieties. The Apples in this Class contain Sugar, Alcohol, Tannin and Perfume in sufficient quantities to yield a rich, long-keeping Cider of excellent perfume and flavour ; whilst it retains a sufficient amount of unreduced Sugar, to give sweetness, and enough Tannin, to give strengthening virtues, and at the same time to moderate the action of the Alcohol. The Second Class (Cartes Blanches) consists of “ very good Apples,” and it gives fifty one varieties. These Apples yield juices with sufficient Sugar, Tannin, and Perfume to make a rich good- keeping Cider. The Third Class (Cartes Saummonnées) are “ good Apples,” and it presents sixty eight varieties. Their juices yield a pleasant Cider very good in flavour, but without much strength, or keeping qualities. The Fourth Class (Cartes Lilas) consists of ‘“‘ Middling or Bad” Fruits, and it gives two hundred and five varieties. ‘These contain in a very inferior degree, the useful properties of those in the three former Classes. This Catalogue also gives the results of the enquiries into the virtues of twenty seven varieties of Perry Pears, of which one variety only is put in the First Class; two in the Second; nine in the Third ; and Fifteen in the Last Class. This Catalogue thus affords the most useful and valuable information, as to the real merits of the several varieties of Fruit, in a concise form, and renders great service to the cultivators in the formation of their Orchards. The Congress also laid down this general rule as the result of their labours, that the minimum density of the juice of Cider and Perry Fruits, should be 1.075, with at least one half per cent. of Tannin. THE WooLHoPE NATURALISTS’ FIELD Cus has been engaged during the last nine years in obtaining Orchard information, with a view to improve the varieties of Fruit grown, and to restore the commercial position of their products. The result of all these enquiries is embodied in “The Herefordshire Pomona.” This Viii. PREFACE. work has been published at very considerable expense; and is very valuable for the carefully coloured illustrations of Plates, con- taining four hundred and thirty two of the most highly esteemed varieties of Fruit for the Table and the Press. It thus forms an excellent work for reference, but it is far too costly and valuable for general use. The Club has therefore thought it advisable, for the advantage of the Orchards, to publish at once the present cheap Edition of all the information contained in the larger work, with reference to the Apple and Pear, as Vintage Fruits. In this more useful form, the results of the enquiries will be at once available for the improvement of the Orchards ; and it is hoped that this work may become the Text Book for practical use with the Nursery- man and the Planter, until a better one is published. It offers no pretensions to the complete and highly scientific character of the French work, ‘ Le Cidre,” since the resources of the National Government have not been available here for the long and expensive investigations required, but its enquiries have followed the same paths, and it will at least afford the ground work for future and more perfect results. IN @ tea The Publication of this Volume is in fulfilment of one of the most earnest wishes of its Editor, who was engaged in bringing the work through the Press, when sudden fatal illness prevented his seeing more than the first portion in print. The work, therefore, lacks the finishing touches, which his experienced hand would have given ; but care has been taken that the work should be printed exactly as it was left by him. It is not a mere reprint of the “Herefordshire Pomona”; for much additional knowledge was obtained, and the papers were re-written for this book, that it might be specially valuable to the fruit growers and cider makers of the county. It was during a visit to Rouen on behalf of the Woolhope Club, on the occasion of the Great Exhibition of Apples and Pears held there in 1884, under the auspices of the Soczété Centrale d’ Hlorticulture de la Seine-Inférteure, to whose work reference is made in the Preface, that the excellence of the Orchards in Normandy was remarked. ‘The care and attention evidently bestowed upon them, and the numbers of young trees planted, were the subject of special notice. It was felt that such results were largely due to the work of the Society mentioned above. That similar results might be produced in the Orchards of Herefordshire and of England, this work was undertaken by the Editor. It represents the fruit of many years of patient labour and study. Dr. Bull was greatly indebted to George H. Piper, Esq., F.G.S., for much of the local history of the Orchard fruit, particularly in the neighbourhood of Ledbury; and to J. H. Arkwright, Esq., of X, Hampton Court, for kindly issuing circulars with reference to the time of the flowering of Orchard trees, which has proved of value to the work. Thanks also are due to the Publisher, Mr. Carver, for the great care and zeal with which he has carried the work through the Press. It will be of interest to know that the Sections of the Fruit were all carefully drawn by Dr. Bull himself August, 1886. COmN iB INTIS». PAGE THE ORCHARD AND ITS PRODUCTS—CIDER AND PERRY ... I I.—The Orchard... ae oe or ste 9 IIJ.—Orchard Trees io ae ie ic 20 III.—Fruit Management _... WS. Ses ae 2637 IV.—Fermentation te Sas Rig Tega 5) V.—The Orchard in its Commercial Aspect... RAGA mae VI.—Renovation of the Orchards... a nee | ites VII.—Orchard Prospects ae ae shee oe ros REPORT ON THE CONGRESS AT ROUEN ... hans Sk OT List OF THE MOST ESTEEMED VARIETIES OF CIDER APPLES, WITH THEIR SECTIONS... coe Be ate OIE LisT OF THE MOST ESTEEMED VARIETIES OF PERRY PEARS, WITH THEIR SECTIONS ... sing 45 gn ws ctyin/ ADDITIONAL LIST OF LOCAL PERRY PEARS a ier 228 ADDITIONAL LIST OF CIDER APPLES, FROM THE COUNTIES OF HEREFORD, DEVON, SOMERSET, WORCESTER, AND GLOUCESTER ... = nae ve 225 GENERAL INDEX ... aa ‘ Se sco 243 ow : miles ee . a ; MiG Nis salle ak : 7 a oe ity yee ‘ ha) ML a _ A ee) ee ee hae I im THE ORCHARD AND Ils PRODUCTS. CIDER AND PERRY: eet aS NEC VERO TERRA FERRE OMNIA POSSIT. ViRGIL, Geor. II. 109. “Not every plant in every soil will grow.” Dryden. ‘““"THE FRAGRANT STONES, THE WIDE PROJECTED HEAPS OF APPLES, WHICH THE LUSTY HANDED YEAR, INNUMEROUS, 0’ER THE BLUSHING ORCHARD SHAKES ; A VARIOUS SPIRIT, FRESH, DELICIOUS, KEEN, DWELLS IN THEIR GELID PORES ; AND ACTIVE, POINTS ‘THE PIERCING CIDER FOR THE THIRSTY TONGUE.” THOMSON. Seasons. ‘“ WOULD’ST THOU THY VATS WITH GENEROUS JUICE SHOULD FROTH? RESPECT THY ORCHATS ; THINK NOT THAT THE TREES SPONTANEOUS WILL PRODUCE A WHOLESOME DRAUGHT LET ART CORRECT THY BREED.” Puitips’ Cyder. The variable and temperate climates of Northern Europe are better suited to the growth of the Apple and the Pear-tree, than to that of the heat loving Vine: and thus in olden times, when com- munication was difficult, or almost impossible, and when each locality was very much dependent on its own productions, Cider and Perry became the natural drink of the inhabitants. It is not A 2 HISTORY OF CIDER AND PERRY ORCHARDS. however in every soil and situation that the juice of the Apple and Pear are sufficiently rich to produce fermented liquor of high flavour and quality ; and it is curious to observe how limited are the districts to which the experience of centuries has restricted the growth of Cider and Perry Orchards. In England it is only the Western Counties which are noted for their Orchards. ‘The West Midland district, comprising Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucester- shire, with some parts of Monmouthshire ; and the South Western district, comprising the Counties of Devonshire, Somersetshire, and part of Dorsetshire. Cornwall also possesses many Orchards ; and the fame of Kent is widely spread for its extensive production of dessert and table fruit. In Ireland some fair Cider is made in the Counties of Waterford and Cork, but not to any great extent. In Normandy, Cider Orchards may be traced back to the 11th Century. They were much more extensively planted between the 13th and 16th Centuries, and now again the destructive disease of the vines is causing the Orchards to be widely extended, so that a considerable quantity of Cider is produced there. Pear Orchards have never been much planted in Normandy, and Perry is but lightly esteemed there. In Germany, on the contrary, Perry is more highly valued than Cider, and is made largely for distillation. Cider has been known in Spain from a very early period. A graphic description of the Cider of Biscay is given by Nasagerus in the Journal of his Embassy from the Republic of Venice to the Emperor Charles V., in the early part the 16th Century ; and it now forms the ordinary drink of the inhabitants of the Northern provinces of Spain and Portugal. In Jersey much Cider is made which has a high repute for its strength. In many parts of the United States of America the common drink of the country is Cider ; but the manufacture of Perry is chiefly confined to the Eastern States, where it is produced in considerable abundance. It was not until the end of the 17th Century that the English Orchards began to be much planted. The Civil War with its troubles had passed by: Continental wars prevailed for the most part ; and as foreign wines ceased to be introduced, it became an object of national importance—a patriotic duty—to encourage the HISTORY OF ENGLISH ORCHARDS. gs home production of Cider and Perry in every possible way. Poets and Writers extolled their praise : Esquires and Yeomen vied with each other in their efforts to meet the national want; and the great care and attention resulting from all this enthusiasm culminated in a success so remarkable as to outstrip all former efforts, and as we read the accounts, to make us lament the more, the neglect of later years, | Cider and Perry were then made in large quantities of a more uniform superior quality; and met with a ready and _ highly remunerative sale. They formed the household family drink, varied on festive occasions with home-made wines, in the excellence of which all good housewives prided themselves. ‘The farm labourers, or hinds, who were at that time usually boarded in the house, had to be content with ‘“ Ciderkin,” or “ Purr,” a weaker cider, made by the addition of water to the apple cake, as it was passed again through the mill. This was allowed to the men in almost unlimited quantities during haytime and harvest, and formed a wholesome and harmless drink. This was the golden age for Orchard culture and for Orchard produce. Cider was never so highly esteemed. Philips, the Cider Poet, calls it :— “Nectar ! on which always waits Laughter and Sport, and care beguiling Wit, And Friendship, chief Delight of Human Life. What should we wish for more ? or why in quest Of Foreign Vintage, insincere and mixt, Traverse the extremest World ; why tempt the Rage Of the rough Ocean! when our native Glebes Imparts from bountious Womb, annual Recruits Of wine delectable, that far surmounts Gallic, or Latin grapes, or those that see The setting Sun near Calpe’s tow’ring Height. Nor let the Rhodian, nor the Lesbian Vines Vaunt their rich must, nor let Zokay contend For Sov’ranty ; Phaneus self must bow To th’ Aviconian Vales.”— Cyder. 4 DECLINE OF ENGLISH ORCHARDS. This great prosperity of the Orchards was not destined to continue for any lengthened period. Agriculture was soon called upon with greater urgency to meet the want of the more essential articles of food, and it became more profitable to produce corn and cattle; thus the chief attention of the farmer was drawn from his fruit trees and was given to these objects. Orchards are uncertain in their yield; the fruit requires much care and attention, and with all this, a good season is as necessary for superior Cider and Perry, as it is for fine Wines; whereas the grain crops are much more to be depended upon, and the area of their production is practically without limit. The farmers grew rich, their farms kept increasing in size, and the attention given to their Orchards became less and less, until, at last, they begun to be looked upon sometimes as a nuisance. ‘This neglect, as years went on, became disastrous ; failing trees had their places supplied by any worthless varieties at hand; little care was given to the management of the fruit, or to the making of the liquor, beyond the two or three hogsheads required for the house- hold use. Then, year by year, enormous quantities of Cider and Perry of a very indifferent quality were produced, and, as the natural consequence of this deterioration, they could only be sold at prices less and less worthy of consideration. They were, there- fore, given the more freely to the labourers on the farm, inducing habits of indolence and intemperance, and, as a matter of course, lessening their wages. The quantity produced was far too great to be consumed locally, and hence arose the need of the ‘Cider Merchants,” **Cider-men,” or “ buyers of sale liquors,” as they were called at the end of the last century, who bought up everything by wholesale, and almost at their own prices. ‘There can be no question but that, with some honourable exceptions, these “middlemen” have done more damage to the just reputation of Cider and Perry than all other causes put together. In ordinary seasons many thousands of hogsheads passed through their hands, and were submitted to various processes, calculated rather to destroy than to regulate proper fermentation. The liquor was fined, flavoured and fortified DECLINE OF ENGLISH ORCHARDS. 5 to suit, in their estimation, the public taste. It was then sent to London and Bristol, (in those days the two great centres of trade, ) the best in bottles to (mis)represent pure wholesome Cider in the home market, whilst the greater part of it found its way, it is said, to the Continent, to return again to this country, in the shape of cheap Hamburgh Ports and Sherries; or, more probably, it was manipulated at home for these purposes. Not a little of this nefarious traffic, it is to be feared, goes on at the present day. There were other causes also, which tended, from an early period, to lessen the production of Cider and Perry. ‘Taxation was very soon imposed, sometimes on the Orchards, but generally on the produce. ‘This was often very oppressive, and caused many Orchards, not protected by the landlord’s agreement or lease, to be uprooted. The obnoxious visits of the Supervisor continued until the commencement of the present century, but have now, happily, ceased for many years. Foreign Wines soon began again to be introduced during the intervals of war, and their importation has continued to the present time, in ever increasing quantities, with the improved facilities of transport, and the diminution of duty. ‘These cheap wines, aided greatly by malt liquors, have at all times been formidable rivals for public appreciation, and it is a standing proof of the natural excel- lence of Cider and Perry that they should have been able to hold their own as well as they have done, in spite of so much general deterioration, and in the face of such powerful competition. The same falling off in the quality of Cider of late years, has been observed in cther countries. In France it has been strongly commented on in the official Report of the Congress, appointed by the French Government to consider this subject. This excellent work, “Le Cidre” (pp. 77, 78), says—‘‘The Cider of which the old authors wrote in such glowing terms, is scarcely to be met with now. Such, for example, as the £carlatin, prepared from the Pomme Ecarlate (scarlet apple), which yields an excellent Cider, red as wine, sweet, piquant, and aromatic, as if sugar and cinnamon had been used ; or such of the JZuscadel which recalls the colour, scent, 6 NEGLECT OF CIDER ORCHARDS. and taste of the W/uscadelle wine. It is of this cider that the old French soldier-song says— ‘Tl vant mieux, pres beau feu, boire la A/uscadelle Qu’allez sur un rampart faire la sentinelle.’ Or lastly, the cider furnished by the apple called Pomme @ Espice, which is as superior to ordinary cider as the Vix d'Orléans is to Vin Ordinaire” It is related, by Julian de Paulmier, that “ The late King Francis the Great, in 1532, passing through the district, gave orders that some barrels of it should be carried in his train, and he drank of it himself so long as it lasted.” (Z7vaité du Vin et du Cidre, published at Caen, in 1589.) A similar fact of royal appreciation of Cider, is related by Dr. Beale, who wrote in the time of Charles II (1656), and who says : “When the King (of blessed memory) came to Hereford, in his distress, and such of the Gentry of Worcestershire as were brought there as Prisoners; both Azmg, and LVobility, and Gentry, did prefer C7zder before the best [Vines those parts afforded.” The same neglect was observed in America, some half century ago, when Thacker called attention to their Orchards. His warning would seem to have been effective, since, of late years, a marked improvement has shown itself, in all kinds of American Apples and Pears, whether for dessert, for culinary purposes, or for the produc- tion of Cider and Perry. ‘‘ American farmers are now beginning,” says Mr. Downing, “‘to recognise the fact, that no farm is complete without a well-selected and well-cultivated Orchard.” (American fruits for Farm and Garden, 187%.) The wonders effected in commerce by the great discoveries of the present century, have completely surpassed the results of all former experience. The power of the steam engine, by land and by sea, enables space to be overcome by rapidity of movement, and lessens expenditure by gain on time, and cheapness of conveyance ; and thus wider markets are offered for all articles of trade. Nor have these changes by any means reached their limit. Every year sees some new economy effected, or some fresh article of commerce introduced into new districts to compete with those already in the field. Competition thus becomes world-wide, and according to the ORCHARD PROSPECTS. 7] inevitable laws of trade, the best and the cheapest must prevail in the end. The benefit to humanity at large is unquestionable, but to individuals and localities the result is often disastrous. Agricul- ture is now tried severely to contend with these great changes, and the struggle still goes on with increasing severity, in almost all the articles of its production. The result cannot be otherwise than to compel every district, and every locality, to produce those articles for which it is specially adapted, in the best possible form, or, in other words, by the highest cultivation. If free-trade in corn, and the introduction of live and dead meat, restrict the profit of the farmers, happy should they be, who, living in the fruit districts of England, have their Orchards to help them. Two hundred years ago, it was the necessities of isolation that caused the Orchards to be looked to as a good source of profit; in these times it is a world-wide competition that makes the same demand. ‘Thus it has come to pass, by a curious revolution in the cycle of commerce, that the careful cultivation of English Orchards has again become a necessity, and every effort must be made to improve their condition, and to make them, as they can be made, one of the main sources of the profit of the farm. The fruit districts in England, in all ordinary seasons, should afford the chief supply to the English markets, but they do not do so. American and Continental Apples and Pears are brought, year by year, in larger quantities, to supply our great centres of popu- lation, and they are even now coming from Australia. These importations are always noticed to possess the two leading market- able qualities, ‘‘ size,” and ‘‘ beauty of colour,” and the best are also excellent in flavour and quality. In bad seasons, as in 1879, particularly, American Apples were bought to supply our own apple districts. This competition, will, for the future, always have to be encountered, and it is very satisfactory to know that it may be met successfully, by care and attention to our own Orchards. Of late years, table and kitchen fruit, “ pot fruit,” as the local name has it, have been much more extensively grown here, and they must still be grown, in increasing quantities, and in improved quality. This particular change, however, will not prove the one 8 THE PRODUCTION OF CIDER AND PERRY. great remedy for agricultural prosperity that has been recently claimed for it, for the Cider and Perry fruits must also be grown with increased care, and in improved varieties. The English Orchards afford a still better resource in their vintage fruits. The products in which they are unrivalled, and for which, therefore, they need not fear competition, are Cider and Perry of superior quality. Here is the speciality that requires the immediate attention of our fruit growers; and it is one that will repay all the care they can bestow upon it. For many years past, the Cider and Perry of first quality has been made by the small holders of land. They have been obliged to look chiefly to their Orchards for their rent and their livelihood; and by unremitting attention to their trees, have received a liberal and just reward. The holders of the larger farms and larger Orchards, must follow their example. It does not answer to produce a drink of inferior quality, when it is possible to produce a better; and it may assuredly be said now, as truly as it ever could have been said, that so long as the quality is superior, however large the quantity may be, a ready market will be found for it, at highly remunerative prices. The writers of the 17th and 18th centuries, produced many excellent practical works on Orchard culture, and on the manufac- ture of Cider and Perry. They were, for the most part, the result of personal experience, and vary greatly in their views: indeed they also show signs of local origin. The Orchardist, whose land is variable, and but little of it good, thinks “‘soil” is the one thing essential; he whose land has been undrained, and whose trees grow unkindly, with rugged moss-covered branches, lays great stress on “drainage” ; he whose Orchards are on low ground, and exposed to night fogs, and whose hopes have been cut down again and again by late spring frosts, destroying the fertility of the bloom, dwells fondly on the all importance of a “sunny, airy, upland situation.” He whose land is everywhere good, and well adapted for Orcharding, throws all the energy of his recommendations into the absolute need of selecting ‘‘the best varieties of fruit” for cultivation ; whilst, lastly, he who happily possesses all these advan- ORCHARD SOIL. 9 tages, considers that “the management of the fruit, and its proper fermentation,” are the requisites supremely essential for the pro- duction of Cider and Perry of the highest quality and excellence. All these good people are right from the result of their own experience, but all are wrong in the restriction of their views. The careful personal attention of the cultivator must be given to each and every one of these points, with patience and perseverance, and then it will only remain for favourable seasons to insure a full amount of success. The present condition of English Orchards is far from satis- factory. They show sadly the result of long-continued neglect. It is the object of the present work to direct attention to them, to give a brief, practical review of the requirements for their proper cultiva- tion and management, and thus to pave the way for further and more complete study. Ey PoE ORCHARD: Soit.—The Apple and the Pear-tree are very hardy. ‘They will grow and flourish in almost every variety of soil, producing in abundance their most useful fruits. The Apple-tree prefers a Sand- stone wherever it is found, as the Pear-tree rejoices in Calcareous soil. I1t has been universally observed however that the same trees will produce fruit varying much in size and quality on different soils. “‘Every variety of Apple,” says Thomas Andrew Knight, ‘is more or less affected by the nature of the soil it grows upon. On some soils the fruit attains a large size and is full of juice, on others it is dry and highly flavoured.” When fruit is required for Cider making, the proper quality of the soil on which it is grown is all important. As the poet has well said :— “Next let the Planter, with discretion meet The Force and Genius of each Soil explore ; To what adapted, what it shows averse : Without this necessary care, in vain He hopes an Apple Vintage, and invokes Pomona’s aid in vain.” Paintes “iCyaer.” 10 ORCHARD SOIL. Happily, however, the rough handed experience of every day life has been able to get on in advance of Science. The practical farmer has not to wait for the chemist to tell him which of his fields are most productive. The dairyman, for example, soon finds out from which of his meadows he gets the best milk, the richest cream, and the most valuable cheese; and his next object is to get the best breed of cattle to graze them, or in other words to find the cows that will best perform their part in dairy produce. So it is with the Orchardists, the liquor in his vats will soon point out to him the particular Orchards which offered him Nature’s best laboratory for the production of the finest and strongest Cider ; and his efforts should then be directed to get them provided with the best varieties of fruit trees. It is with Orchards moreover, as it is so remarkably the case with Vinyards, that some portions of the ground will produce much finer liquor than the rest, although the soil apparently is the same throughout. ‘The fact is undoubted, but the reason seems inscrutable and beyond the powers of chemistry to define. The Cider and Perry from the English Orchards are admitted to be superior in quality and strength to those liquors from other countries, and thus our Orchards should show the soil best suited to their production. ‘The evidence from history on this point is not quite satisfactory, for all the authorities of the 17th century agree in recommending light sandy soils, such as are usually termed “ Rye Lands.” ‘“‘ Look where the full-eared Sheaves of Rye Grow wavy on the Tuilth, that Soil select For Apples.” Puiips “ Cyder.” Mr. Thomas Andrew Knight says “ the excellence of the Cider formerly made from the Fedstreak, Golden Pippin, and Stire apples in light soils seems to evince that some fruits receive benefit from those qualities in the soil by which others are injured.” Marshall gives the instance of the once celebrated Sze, which in the lime- stone lands of the Forest of Dean yielded an incomparably rich and highly flavoured Cider, but when grown in the deep, rich soil of the vale of Gloucester, afforded a liquor only useful for its strength and roughness. The Hagloe Crab again, another celebrated apple in its OLD RED SANDSTONE SOIL. II day, required the calcareous rock called ‘‘ Dunstone” to give full flavour and richness to its liquor. The Foxwhe/p on the other hand, yields the Cider, so remarkable for its strength, and that peculiar flavour, for which it is so highly esteemed, from deep clay Sandstone loam, and if the trees are grown on light or too sandy a soil, its Cider is then thin and inferior in flavour. ‘The same may be said of several other varieties. It is a curious fact, and certainly more than a coincidence, that the practical experience of so many generations of men should show that the two counties which have chiefly given its high character to English Cider are Herefordshire and Devonshire ; and these two counties are remarkable for the same character of soil, that is for the deep clay loam of that ancient geological formation, the Old Red Sandstone. ‘This experience is fully borne out in our own times, and it may be added that even in these favoured counties, the districts especially noted for this character of soil, are those most remarkable for Cider of the highest flavour and quality. The light soils will not now give a superior Cider, and he who would plant a successful Orchard must choose a deep, stiff, Sandstone loam for his trees, if he has the opportunity of doing so. The following analysis of Herefordshire soil was made by Mr. G. H. With, F.R.A.S., and F.C.S., in 1877 :— ANALYSIS OF THE CREDENHILL MARL, OR CORNSTONE. Organic matter and combined water ... bos a eek Silica, and insoluble Silicates ... oe ee ... 56°068 Tricalise Phosphate... Sis ae aes hee SOE Lime Carbonate rw oo: be ss ca) 205005 Magnesia Carbonate... Se abe oe Be, ee Peroxide of Iron ee a ae a3 io 5 ko Alumina are re ae re ae ee OG Chloride of Potassium ... sie ss he i= O70 Chloride of Sodium... oie a me Ae Peroxide of Manganese, Sulphuric Acid, and loss... 2°704 I00°O00O 12 ORCHARD SURFACE. Credenhill is noted for its Orchards, and their fertility is due in great measure to the supply of Lime from the Marl or Cornstone, which surrounds this hill, as it does so many others in Herefordshire. The Pear-tree is still more hardy than the Apple-tree. The blossoms resist well the spring frost, and the trees bear abundantly. The celebrated variety, Zaynton Squash, draws its finest liquor from the heaviest soil; and that popular Pear, Bave-land Pear, takes its name from the coldness and poverty of the soil it grows on. ‘Thus it happens that Perry may be produced to great profit and advantage on many a soil that will scarcely give back the labour spent on it for other purposes. Pear trees are very slow and long lived. The The old proverb says— “He who plants Pears Plants for his heirs.” and thus the unselfish patriotism which should plant Perry Orchards is not always to be found. However a good “hit” of fruit in an Orchard of Pears has sometimes been worth the fee simple of the land the trees grow upon. SuRFACE.—The question of turf, or tillage, as best adapted for Orcharding has been much discussed; and pasturage has been commonly favoured under the idea that the soil beneath the trees was thus kept more cool and moist during the heat of summer. This is not the case; for the crop of pasture, or hay, or green crops of any kind not only require much moisture for their own growth, which they take from the soil, but they also exhale much more moisture during the heat of the day time, compensated for by the dew that falls on them by night ; and thus in both ways the trees are robbed in dry weather of the moisture necessary for their healthy and fruitful growth. The old Orchard writers are therefore right in giving preference to tillage, rather than to pasture land, for the Orchard. ‘Thomas Andrew Knight, and most other Herefordshire authorities, think there is no more suitable place for a young Orchard than a Hopyard; and the most approved method in Kent at the present day, is to cultivate the Orchard as a Hop Garden until such time as ORCHARD DRAINAGE. 13 the fruit trees are large enough to yield a paying crop The trees profit by the high cultivation, and the protection given to the hops. They grow more freely, bear finer fruit, and yield, it is said, a longer keeping Cider. As the trees grow large the hops must be uprooted and the field laid down to permanent pasture. In America, roots are almost always grown for the first five years in new Orchards, and the soil deeply ploughed every year at a proper distance from the trees. They consider grain crops as too exhausting and injurious to the soil required for Apples. The home Orchard attached to most Herefordshire and Devon- shire farms must be pasturage of necessity, for the great convenience it affords for the ewes and lambs in the spring, and the ordinary farm animals at all seasons. DrarnaGE.—A due amount of moisture in the soil is absolutely necessary for the proper growth of the higher forms of vegetation, but it should not be in excess, and above everything, it must not be stagnant. A want of good drainage is fatal to an Orchard. The temperature of water-logged soil is always low. ‘The warm rains of spring run off the surface, without mixing with the cold water left there by winter; and it is very late in the year before the sun can lessen its quantity by evaporation, and impart the all essential warmth to the soil. If water moreover remains long stagnant in contact with any vegetable matter it soon becomes impure by the formation of noxious gasses, and is thus rendered positively injurious to the trees growing there. An Orchard in this condition is a miserable sight; the trees are rugged and stunted in growth, their boughs are weak, covered with lichen, or moss, and can seldom produce much fruit ; and yet, for all this, it is a sight by no means uncommon. A. good Orchard must therefore be well drained by art, if not by nature. The excess of water should flow off gradually, so as to leave the soil porous and ready to receive from the atmosphere quickly its own air and warmth. The roots are thus stimulated early in the season and have .time to take up from the soil all the principles necessary for the healthy life and vigorous growth of the trees. 14 ORCHARD ASPECT AND SITE. ASPECT, CLIMATE, AND SireE.—The Aspect and Site of the Orchard involve its Climate, and there is no subject on which the writers of the 17th and 18th centuries differ more, for though all agree in preferring the South, they embrace also nearly every other point of the compass. The “ Complete Planter and Cyderist” (1690) recommends a South, South East, or South West Aspect protected from the North, North East and North West winds by buildings, woods, or high ground. Dr. Beale in his ‘‘ Tract on Herefordshire Orchards” (1656) preferred a South Aspect inclining rather to the rising than to the setting sun. Mortimer in his “ Husbandry” recommends any site from East to West. Mr. Thomas Andrew Knight also thought any Site from East by South to West favourable for orcharding. The general belief is that the Southern Aspect with an inclination to the East is best adapted for the Orchard, thus following the popular idea of the health giving powers of the morning sun; in other words that this aspect gives a better supply of light and heat, and therefore affords a better promise of healthy vegetation and fruitful crops. This belief holds good for Herefordshire, where the West winds are apt to prevail with much violence, but apart from such special circumstances, any Southern aspect tending Westward is the proper one for an Orchard. It is well known that if plants are exposed to the direct influence of the rising sun at the time they are frozen they will suffer, and in some cases altogether perish ; but if the same plants are shaded until gradually thawed by the increasing temperature of the air, they recover from the effects of the low temperature without injury. Hence it is that an Orchard exposed to the direct influence of the morning sun is almost sure to suffer from a spring frost when the trees are in blossom, or when the fruit is setting ; whereas with a Western Aspect which does not receive the direct rays of the sun until the increased temperature of the air has dispelled the frost, the blossoms escape and the fruit crop is saved. One side of an Orchard, or one side of a tree is frequently found bearing fruit abundantly whilst the other side is almost bare, and this generally arises from the same cause. If frozen blossoms could be shaded till the sun had diffused its warming influence through the air, and thus had gradually dispelled the frost before its ‘direct rays reached them, the blossom would be saved. ORCHARD MANURE. 15 It is sometimes found advantageous to have plantations in different aspects, so as to secure crops in variable seasons. Marshall had an Orchard with a North West aspect which fully fruited in 1783, when the Cider fruit failed in every other aspect. The same fact was experienced in 1879 by Mr. Hill, of Eggleton, and some other growers. Orchards are often planted too low in the valleys, for though they may get there a more rich alluvial soil and better protection from wind, they have to encounter the cold damp fogs of night, which are often destructive to the blossoms in spring, and are apt moreover to check the free growth of the young fruit after it has set. The best situation, when the soil is good, is one that is raised well above the level of the night fogs from the low ground. Worlidge has these quaint and consolatory remarks on the best position for the Orchard: “for the distinguishing thereof there are many rules, but he that is seated and fixed in any place, and cannot conveniently change his habitation, must be content with his own, and if any defect or disadvantage be in it, it may be that he hath some advantages that others want.” Wherever the Orchard may find itself, it is desirable to give it the protection of buildings, high quick hedges, woods, or higher grounds to keep off the dangerous spring frosts and blight, and afford as much shelter as may be from strong winds ; for then the blossom is often saved from destruction, and the crop of fruit when full grown kept secure. MANuRING.—Apple and Pear trees, whether in arable land or pasture, are very insufficiently manured. ‘The trees often become weak and exhausted from the heavy loads of fruit they bear, and yet their ungrateful owners forget to feed them. ‘This neglect, no doubt, often gives the explanation why so many trees only bear fruit on alternate years. On arable land they take a share of the manure supplied for the green crops grown thus ; but on pasture land they have most commonly only to share with the grass the manure from the animals that graze beneath them and enjoy their shade. A careful farmer in the neighbourhood of a town may sometimes scatter a few ashes over the Orchard to help the grass, 16 ORCHARD MANURE. but it very seldom occurs to him to think that the trees would be equally grateful for some better nourishment. The kind of manure best suited for the Orchard may be learnt from the consideration of the solid constituents of the tree itself and its fruit, since this analysis must show the inorganic ingredients they demand from the soil. Professor Emil Wolff, of the Royal Academy of Agriculture, Hohenheim, Wirtemberg, has made the most careful investigation into the ingredients of the ashes of plants, and he has published the following results : ANALYSIS OF THE ASH OF APPLE TREE WOOD. too Parts by Weight, gave of Potash Bre a EP as eh Pee icc) Soda Ss Ie ae ani ae ee Magnesia _... Ee wae an ve er eS Lime nes = ee sie Sus 333.0 ENO Phosphoric Acid _... ze 3a ars ee a Sulphuric Acid bee a sis a Serle) Silica at ae ae se a, Se Melis Chionnes 952. vis aes Bi ane ik SaO% 99°8 Loss ae sais woh AN =e: 2 100 ANALYSIS OF THE ASH OF THE APPLE ITSELF (whole fruit.) too Parts by Weight, gave of Potash MA He is thts a aS 10) Soda ie fe te ee “ine we 208% Magnesia... 1B = ae e: on. = 888 Lime sae ay a: me See fo) ea Phosphoric Acid... ae it ue sisi) MEAG Sulphuric Acid ti wah see ibe als RET Silica rai a a as Eis sinh bandas 98°7 Undetermined Matter, and loss x r3 I0Oo ORCHARD MANURE. 17 Professor Wolff has also given the following results of his examination of the fruit of the Pear: ANALYSIS OF THE ASH OF THE PEAR (whole fruit.) Potash Soe ae “a! Jas _— Tm AMY Soda ie oe ah sits oa ie eo Magnesia... aa ri Bete Rk £511 2 Lime des 8. see i. uss en MO Phosphoric Acid... ss se ‘) 35 ar as PLANTING. 19 The ingredients must be of the best quality and thoroughly mixed together. The compound should be passed through a quarter inch screen. ‘The cost per ton at present prices, including labour, will be about £ 3 5s.; and something less than halfa ton per acre, every third or fourth year, would suffice, since its effects will be found very durable. PLANTING.—The young trees selected to furnish the Orchard should be stout and well grown, and not less than 8 or 10 years old. They should be planted at equal distance from each other at spaces varying from 15 to 40 feet apart, according to the habit of growth of the variety, or to the further use it is proposed to make of the ground. Mr. T. A. Knight was in favour of close planting whether in arable, or pasture land. ‘Those planters who wish to have the largest return at the earliest period, should plant the trees at 15 feet apart in the rows, cutting away every other tree as soon as they approach each other, taking care to keep the rows 30 feet apart from each other. Dr. Beale advises that the crab stocks “be settled 30 feet apart, and after three years let the artist be sent for to graft them with the best fruit.” Mortimer would have “all trees and rows at 40 feet apart and pruned to grow like a fan.” The trees certainly should stand so clearly apart from each other as to allow of their full growth, since a large tree will supply not only more, but better fruit than a small one. They should be planted carefully in lines for the convenience of cultivation, and their roots should be kept as near the surface as may be; that is, they should not be planted too deeply in the ground. The soil beneath should be double dug, and if some roughly broken bones could be put in at the same time, say a peck to a tree, they would form an enduring support to the young trees. Trees of a similar variety, or of a similar habit of growth, and which ripen their fruit at the same period should be planted together; for thus there will be a greater certainty of uniform space for light and air; the general appearance of the Orchard will be improved ; and much time and labour will be saved in gathering the fruit in Autumn. It is better also to have a mixture of early and late blooming varieties in the same orchard, so that if a part of the crop 20 ORCHARD TREES. is cut off by any adverse circumstances, such as frosts, storms, or blight, there may be still a chance of saving some portion of it. When the trees are planted they should be well staked, and if in pasture land, they should be strongly protected from cattle or sheep ; and lastly, the Orchard itself should be well fenced in, for it is but too often an inclosure only in name, and its fences badly kept and much trespassed on. : II. ORCHARD TREES. ‘“‘ Let sage Experience teach thee all the Arts Of Grafting and In-eyeing ; when to top The flowing Branches ; what Trees answer best, From Root or Kernel.” Puiwips “ Cyder.” It is the common result of experience in all countries, and on every soil, that the quality of the Cider and Perry manufactured depends very greatly on the particular varieties of Apples and Pears cultivated. It was Mr. Thomas Andrew Knight’s opinion that ‘“‘ Herefordshire is not so much indebted for celebrity as a Cider county to her soil, as to her valuable varieties of fruit.” So too does the French Commission in its admirable Report, ‘‘ Ze Cidre,” lament, again and again, the absence in these days of that intelligent industry in the selection of the best varieties of fruit for cultivation, which so distinguished the planters of last century. ‘There is much force in these observations, though they do but present a onesided view of the true cause of the decadence in the quality of Cider and Perry. The present state of our Orchards is most unsatisfactory in this respect, since they contain so large a proportion of varieties which are without name, wanting in character, and it must also be added, failing in merit. SEEDLINGS. “‘ An innate Orchat every apple boasts.” PHILIPS “ Cyder.’ Every Orchard farm, properly cared for, has a nursery for SEEDLING TREES. 21 young trees in some out of the way corner, well protected and well looked after. Young Crab stocks are reared from the kernels left uncrushed in the cake from Crab Apples, after the verjuice has been made. The young plants spring up, and after a few careful transplantings, in five or six years become strong enough to graft with varieties of fruit, whose merits are established. The most approved method is to separate the pips from the cake by washing, so as to obtain clean seed. Mix this with moist sand, or light mould, and set it aside until February. Then sow thinly in drills, an inch deep, on a firm well manured soil, made as for an onion bed. A few vegetate immediately, but most of the kernels will remain a year in the ground before the young plants appear. The seedlings will grow unequally, but at the end of the second year will generally be ready to transplant into rows a foot apart, and three or four inches from each other. Here they must remain for two years, when the best plants will be strong enough to plant out in the nursery in “quarters,” as it is termed, that is on ground well trenched, two spades deep, and heavily manured. The rows must now be two feet and a half apart, and the young trees one foot from each other, when they will be ready for budding the following August. Seedlings should always be transplanted early in Autumn, as soon as the leaf falls, and never later than the beginning of November. Young seedlings are very commonly grown from the Apple kernels in the cake thrown aside from the cider mill. ‘These young Apple seedlings spring up often unsown. ‘They are planted out, and beyond question often escape grafting altogether. They are left where they grow, and if they are found to bear a good looking “eyeable” fruit they get planted out to supply the vacancies that are so constantly occurring in the Orchard from one cause or other. It is owing to this careless practice that worthless varieties are now found to prevail so extensively. Those who plant Apple pips or kernels with the view of producing new varieties of fruit will find the process tedious. 22 SEEDLING TREES. Jam qu seminibus jactis se sustulit arbos Tarda venit, seris factura nepotibus umbram. VirGIL, Geor. II. 578. But slowly comes the tree which thou hast sown A canopy for grandsons of thine own. BLAKEMORE, /7aus. Mr. Thomas Andrew Knight found from his experience that . Apple-tree seedlings took from five to twelve years to come into bearing ; whilst Pear-tree seedlings do not bear fruit until they are from twelve to eighteen years old. Seedling fruit trees moreover are for the most part worthless, and they should never therefore be planted out in the Orchards until their value has been tested very carefully. The direct and only satisfactory manner of doing this is to examine the juice of the ripe fruit by the Saccharometer, which will show its richness by its density. The result is so rarely favour- able that much patient perseverance is required. A special exhibi- tion of Seedling fruit trees was held at Yvetot in Normandy, when 172 selected varieties were sent for examination. Nine only of these furnished a rich juice of high density. Again, Monsieur Legrand of Yvetot, out of 65 carefully grown Seedlings, obtained only one single variety worth cultivating. Mr. Thomas Andrew Knight met with the same result, for amongst the many thousands of Seedlings he grew, few indeed proved to be of any value. The advantages of Seedling trees are very great. They are more robust and hardy, and consequently they bear more freely, and difficult as it may be to obtain good ones, they must still be grown. It is the right way to obtain new varieties of excellence. The attempt is always interesting, and a philosopher has said that ‘“‘he who provides a new fruit renders a greater service to mankind than he who wins a great battle.” It does require great patience and perseverance, and unselfish fortitude too, for it is not every one who could bear with trustful equanimity to be told that the Seedlings he has grown himself, and watched and petted for years, are worthless as varieties, and good only as stocks for grafting. BUDDING AND GRAFTING. 23 BUDDING AND GRAFTING. Of every suit Graffe dainty fruit. Graffe good fruit all Or graffe not at all. TUSSER (1620). Budding is much more practised in these days than formerly. It presents greater economy in material, in labour, and above all in time. Young Seedlings may be budded about the 3rd or 4th year, and if in the following spring the buds should have failed, they can be grafted, and the chance of blanks on the bed be greatly diminished. Budding and Grafting should both be practised in the nursery, where the growth of the Scions may be well protected and regularly superintended. The young trees should not be allowed to take their places in the Orchard until they are strong in the stem, with a good out-line of head, and this cannot be looked for before the roth or 12th year of the age of the stock. A custom has arisen in the Orchards of late years, which is often practised with good effect. It is to regraft trees which show a diminution of fruitfulness, or are altogether unproductive, although they may have attained a considerable age. The Scions should be of some strong variety which succeeds well in the locality, and they should be grafted as near to the end of the branches as possible. They will want careful protection from the wind, but if this is given they come quickly into bearing. OLD VARIETIES OF ORCHARD VINTAGE FRuItTs.—The names of those varieties of Cider and Perry Fruits which were held in the highest esteem during the last two centuries have been handed down to us in prose and verse. The following great Orchard authorities, Dr. BEALE, writing in 1657 ; WORLIDGE, 1675; EVELYN, 1706 ; PHILLIPS, 1706 ; HuGH STAFFORD, of Pynes, 1753; MARSHALL, 1789 ; KNIGHT, 1808, and other writers, give the following apples their highest praise. Amongst the earliest in general repute in 24 OLD VARIETIES OF FRUIT. Herefordshire was the Gennet Moyle, as renowned too for its cook- ing properties, as for its Cider. ‘This was soon eclipsed by the Redstreak, with its varieties, Summer, Winter, Vellow, Moregreen, and fed. Evelyn and Philips wrote the fedstreak into higher favour than has perhaps been awarded to any other apple : “Let every tree in every garden own The Redstreak as supreme whose pulpous fruit, With gold irradiate, and vermillion, shines.” Puiuips, Cyder. The Lromsberrow Crab from Worcestershire, and the Westbury Crab, a Hampshire apple; The Whitesour, Blackamore, Mydiate, Dufflin, Bitterscale, Great White Crab, Deans Apple, and Royal Wilding from Devonshire ; the Avier, Otley, Olive and Coleing from Shropshire ; the AZeriot Vsnot, Lings, and Peleasantine from Somer- setshire; the Heming, Hagloe Crab, Bromley, and Forest Styre from Gloucestershire; and the renowned /oxwhelf, first mentioned by Evelyn as coming from the Forest of Dean, and which has since surpassed all others in repute. They also name with much favour, Woodcock ; Friar ; Pawson ; Oaken Pine ; Stocking Apple; White, Reed, and Green Musts ; Summer and Winter Fillets or Violets ; Cowarne Red ; Underleaf: Garter Apple; Best Bache; Bennet Apple; Elliot ; Coccagee; Dymock Red ; Skyrmes Kernel ; Wood- sell; Joeby Crab, and Steads Kernel. Most of these old writers also mention the Pearmains and Pippins in great variety, of which the most celebrated, even in those days, was the Golden Pippin, as well for the long life of the tree, as for the long keeping of its Cider; John Apple, or Deux Ans ; Golden Harvey ; Nonsuch ; Mangold, or Onton Apple; Summer, and Winter Queening, &c., with “all, both Aussettings and Greenings, which have a relish of agreeable Piquancy and Tartness.” The varieties of Vintage Pears named by these great Orchard writers, are the Barland; Horse Pears, Red and White; divers Choke Fears, whereof the red-coloured yielded the strongest liquors; Zaynton Squash; The Red and Green Squash; John Pear ; Money Fear: Lullam Pear ; and some others with local names. DO SORTS DIE OUT. 25 The researches of the Woolhope Club during the last nine years has fully proved that many of these varieties, formerly so highly esteemed, were either altogether lost, or had almost dis- appeared from the Orchards. The neglect to cultivate these valuable varieties is, doubtless, very much to be attributed to the prevailing belief, that, ‘“‘Sorts die out of necessity,” or as Mr. THomas ANDREW KNIGHT expressed it, ‘‘There was no renewal of vitality by the process of grafting, but that the scion carried with it the debility of the tree from which it was taken,” or in other words that grafted trees will not live longer than the original tree from which the grafts were taken. This opinion, which still prevails very much in the Orchards, is not however correct. It is found to be wrong by careful observation ; it is opposed to the general laws of vegetable physiology ; and indeed it is now generally admitted by modern Horticultural Science, that any variety of apple may be indefinitely prolonged with proper care and skill. The notion that a graft can live no longer than the tree from which it is taken seems to rest upon the assurnption, that the new wood which grows from the graft is not a new tree, but only a detached part of the parent. This is evidently a mistake.