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CULTIVATION
Spade cultivation
Gardens
Rigs and fields
Forestry and other first ploughing
main image Former orchard, Byres, East Lothian
From the 17th century, walled orchards were a common addition to Scottish country houses, especially in the Lowlands.

The fruits grown were principally apples and pears, though plums also featured. The harvest, for which 17th century contracts survive, was known as 'the time of shaking', indicating how the fruit was detached.

Features to be found in former orchards include the walls themselves (sometimes of brick – possibly imported – to hold warmth) and characteristic store-houses. These had vaulted ground floors and externally accessed upper floors. In some cases there were internally serviced bee boles, with external flight holes, as a means of assisting pollenation and generating extra income.


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