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Show GETTING READY FOR 0RCHARE Much More Needed for Ultimate Success Suc-cess Than Mere Planting Seleo-tlon Seleo-tlon of Ground Important. The nursery' stock Is beginning to arrive for the new orchard plantations and it would seem that the usual number num-ber of fruit trees are to be set out this spring. In growing a commercial orchard, orch-ard, the experience is much and varied. There are so many conditions prevailing that close and diligent study is quite essential. To grow a good orchard, much more is needed that the planting, says the Denver Field and Farm. We must first familiarize famil-iarize ourselves with the character and nature of soil and trees, the prevailing winds as we call them, the different altitudes al-titudes and last but not least, the perplexing per-plexing problem of cause and effect, the last of which embodies natural laws in their simplest form. The first step is the selection of the ground. The first choice is a northern exposure, the second, a western, and the third an eastern, and last a southern. south-ern. To prepare the ground, clean, plow and level It thoroughly In such manner that there will never be high and low spots in the direction of the irrigating furrows. All plowing and preparing ought to be done in summer and fall previous to planting. A broad deep furrow is made with a large lister lis-ter or two single plows, a left hand and right hand bolted together. Attach At-tach four horses and go several times through the same row in opposite directions, di-rections, but not all the same day. Just before planting go once again in the furrows to pulverize the soil. All this can be done very rapidly. The trees should be so planted that in after years they will be accessible and convenient con-venient for all purposes. This means that no trees should ever be planted on a rquare. By Laving the trees wide apart the way the irrigation furrows are to run always gives ample room to cultivate, irrigate, pick, spray, haul out, etc. If the land is so that the irrigating furrows fur-rows run north and south, the wide rows should be from east to west and close in the row north and south. This occurs most frequently in Colorado. By this means the sun gets full action on the ground and trees on the east side in the morning and on the west side in the afternoon. While the distances dis-tances may be varied, the most convenient con-venient for apples are 16 by 27 feet, 16 by 32 or 16 by 28; peaches, plums and cherries, 14 by 20 or 16 by 20 feet; pears, 16 by 24 feet. When the rows are furrowed out the wide way, rig up something with a team to cross the furrows, and by driving straight to stakes, make the marks for two rows at one time and the work is quickly done. Then it is a very simple matter to dig out the tree holes at the Intersections, Inter-sections, and if this is done in the fall or early winter so as to catch later frosts so much the better. |