NOTHING very particular occurs relating to these subjects in this county. In the neighbourhood of populous towns, are plots of garden ground, managed and occupied by professional gardeners, for the supply of the markets ; where all kinds of culinary vegetables are to be had, upon reasonable terms, as in other plentiful counties.
Mr. Ainsworth complains that labourers have not in general sufficient gardens, nor even cottages, for want of which they are driven into towns ; and that in many cases by enclosures, the cottages have been suffered to go to decay, as the land would let for as much rent without them, to the larger farmers, and by turning it to grass, fewer labourers cottages were wanting.
It is certainly very desirable, as a means of increasing the comfort and happiness of the lower classes, that every labouring family, whose local situation will admit, should have sufficient garden ground to raise vegetable food for such family, as well as an overplus of potatoes and other vegetables to maintain and feed a pig ; and where the least industry exists, such opportunity and encouragement would be a spur to promote it, and exertions would be made to cultivate the garden at spare times : no disposition of the land can add so much to the comforts of the labouring classes, as encouragement held out to cultivate a garden by extra exertion for their own benefit and advantage. I have no doubt that proper attention will be paid to so useful a measure by the public spirited proprietors of Leicestershire.
Kitchen gardens, are of course, attached to gentlemens' and farm-houses, for raising every culinary, necessary, and useful vegetable. I reckon garden ground of common fertility, to be in any case worth to rent, £5. Per acre, but more is often given, especially near towns ; 2s. 6d. per rod of 8 yards square, is a common price, this is £9 9s. per acre ; the produce of garden ground in the hands of a labourer, where a pig can be kept to make manure (if well managed) cannot be reckoned at less than £20 per acre.
2. Orchards, seem to have been rather neglected in this county ; there are no doubt many situations where fruit would answer well, as upon the deep rich loams, not being too wet ; the principal part of the county for the production of fruit is the vale of Belvoir, which produces apples, not only for the consumption of the neighbourhood, but quantities are sent to the towns of Nottingham and Grantham.
Mr. Ainsworth, who has been a professed gardener, and who is very intelligent, says, the planting of orchards in proper situations, would undoubtedly be a great public benefit. Fruit is a very useful article, and apples through their scarcity are very dear, seldom less than one shilling a peck, and sometimes 1s. 6d. ; besides, the increase of cyder would not only add to revenue, but cheer the heart of the poor ; even the husks for swine would be a profitable article ; the wood also is valuable, for many uses besides the fire, and some sorts, as the cherry and plumb-tree, sell for as much or more than oak. Had there been a clause in every act of enclosure the last 50 years, for the proprietors to plant fruit trees at proper distance in the hedge-rows, this generation would have enjoyed a peculiar benefit ; if they were generally planted the fruit would not be stolen ; it is the scarcity that causes the temptation, and fruit is deserving of more attention.
That the soil of Leicestershire, is in some degree adapted to the production of fruit, seems to be the opinion of the Agricultural Society, by their offering the following premium : "To the person who shall, at the annual meeting of 1808, report the most satisfactory information, as deduced from actual experiments, of soils and situations best adapted to orchards, and of the means used in their plantation and subsequent management 10 guineas."
From the observations I have made in Worcestershire, I shall answer, that the best soil is a deep loam, not too cold nor wet ; a hard gravel substratum is very objectionable ; the aspect not too much exposed to the cold points ; the plants are better grafted young in the nursery, as that can be repeated after planting out if judged necessary, and that the best soil for fruit I have seen in the county is in the vale of Belvoir.
 

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