Show planting and care are of orchards up to the time of bearing by JOHN U Alc mcpherson PHERSON idaho state horticultural inspector oregon short ling line demonstration train lecture in selecting land tor for an orchard site there are three things that should bo be taken into consideration the lay ot of tho the land dra drainage llinge and depth of soil land should not only be selected which will give good soil drainage but air drainage should also bo be taken into consideration it Is a well known fact that cold air always settles in tow low places and the planting of orchards in such places should be avoided inasmuch as they are more susceptible to frosts it Is also very important that chilt land selected for horticultural purposes should be a deep and well drained soil so that at no time will water be allowed to stand around the trees and the soil should be of good depth so BO the trees will have ample room roo m to develop their root system the best results cannot be attained by planting on shallow soil trees planted on shallow soils are bound to be surface feeders and will not stand drought and will require more ore water and more frequent irrigation than trees planted on deeper soil coll the te varieties of apples to be planted in any section should be governed a great deal by the length of the gro growing W season and the elevation at which they are to be planted some sections have a longer growing season than others and in selecting commercial varieties to be planted the length of the growing season should be taken into consideration the planter should study his own locality and the conditions existing there before selecting his varieties varieties should be selected so that the fruit will reach a good size and have good color and texture in the given number of months which will be the growing season in that see section flon the growing of fruit on the western slope has reached such a stage bage that no planter can afford to plant any fruit other than the commercial merc lal varieties and the fewer antrin her ber of varieties that are planted in any one ona section the better tor for the grower when the fruit comes into bearing as too many varieties are how raised i ls ed 0 opine western slope which have no value and are not p good keeping quality there is a great deal of difference in the opinions of various horticulture fists on the western slope its as to the ageos age of trees used in planting but the bestre best results have been attained by the planting ng of one year old well devel I 1 aped tre trees es As a general rule stock from four to sli six feet fee with a 9 good oa top and root is used and in purchasing such nursery stock it is well to buy from some reliable nurseryman as near neap home as pos possible tible in this way the planter can see just what he be is buying spring planting is generally practiced in idaho although some fall i planting Is done in buying trees for fall planting the planter should be certain that the trees are well matured before purchasing in some cases the nurseryman will strip the trees of their leaves before selling them to the planter such trees are worthless and should not be planted as it Is impossible to form a low headed tree from such stock the planting in tho the spring is begun just as soon as the spring freezes are over and the soil Is dried dried out so that it I 1 is mellow when fiand handled led As a gen gel oral aral rule the apple trees are planted rom thirty to thirty three feet apart this distance gives them ample room to build up ek a good root system and ample soil from which to teed feed upon in planting tho the holes are dug about the first 8 to 10 inches of the top soil Is placed in one pile bile by itself and the subsoil in another the tree Is placed in the hole at a about the i same sam 0 depth or possibly a little deeper beeper than when it grew in the nursery the top soil is then placed in the hole first and is well packed in around the roots by using some blunt instrument that will not bruise tho roots As soon as the top soil obil is placed in the hole a quantity of water should be run in and the trees well settled by slightly putting pulling it up and down while the water waier la Is sinking away As soon as this Is done the subsoil sub soil soll should then be added and well tamped camped in the hole should be well ailed and a dust mulch left on top before the tree Is planted the roots should receive some slight trimming cutting away any injured roots or any root that has abnormal growth and will not lay straight in the hole when planted the tree should be set with the I 1 tiger roots toward the prevailing win the top should also be slightly leguid in this direction in this way the tree will III gain a good root system before it is bent over or thrown out of line by the prevailing winds another method used in somo some of the old established fruit sections of idaho Is the planting of corn every third or fourth trow row in I 1 new orchards parallel to the prevailing winds tae corn grows to a good height at an early date in the spring and furnish es a good wind break after the tree free has been planted the top should ho be cut back to correspond with the root system tho the average height in cutting back a tree front from four to six feet Is from frain tWenty four our to thirty six inches the cutting back ot of smaller trees should be at tie same rate this operation Is very important as it la is very essential to form a good root system before the top Is allowed to to develop after the tree has been planted care should be given and the moisture in the soil should be carefully watched so that there will be enough moisture in the soil at all times to make a maximum growth although too much water Is just as bad as not enough and good cultivation Is just as essential as irrigation Ini gatlon in fact some of the best orchards in the state ot of idaho are those which are extensively cultivated and it a minimum amount ot of water used in some of the orchard districts of idaho the soil has become alkaline by the excessive use ot of water one of the essential things in the care of an orchard the second year Is the forming of the scaffold limbs or the frame framework work ot of the tree from asree to five limbs should be allowed to grow at a height of from eighteen to twenty four inches from the ground the distance of these limbs apart should be from five to eight inches se lec electing ting it possible three limbs to the windward side and two to the lee so that the tree will be equally balanced these scaffold limbs should be divided around the body of the tree and it is not well to have one immediately i above the oth other er the forming of the scaffold limbs jims on oh young trees is the most important work in an the growing of a new orchard we should always strive to have our trees as low headed as possible as this will reduce the cost of spraying harves harvesting flug and the general care of the orchard when it comes into bearing in pruning a tree the be third year the second year genth should be cut back all but about twelve to eighteen inches this will cause each scaffold limit to throw out additional limbs two of these should be allowed to grow the others should bo be pruned away tl the pruning of the tree from then on should be up to the time ol of bearing along the same line as is done the second and third year and each year allowing two additional limbs to grow from the last years growth in this way at the time of 0 bearing you will have a low headed stocky and well developed tree and one which will be able to bear its fruit in a good quantity without breaking down under the load T there 11 ere Is no certain time that can bo be set as to when spraying should be begun on newly planted orchards for the different insect pests some ot of the best in the state commence spraying the second and third year after pl planting t this Is done is as general preventive against diseases and insect pests lime and sulphur solution la Is used at a strength of from one gallon 0 of lime solution to 10 or 11 parts of water A solution of ko kerosene rosene emulsion or black leaf 40 Is used in spraying young orchards for the different species of aphis that are prevalent on young trees A careful watch should be kept on young trees and if IE any infection Is found of any kind it should be attended to at once and not put off as the only possible way to keep trees in a healthy growing condition la Is by watching them closely and keeping them free from the different pests and fungus diseases disease s abit that destroy our orchards in conclusion there are five important factors that should be borne in mind at all times in the growing of a young orchard the selection of a deep well drained soil second the purchasing lg of first class nursery stock with a good thrifty growth and free from di diseases third the careful and econom economical icil irrigation and thorough cultivation fourth the proper pruning and the forming of the framework of the tree at the beginning of its second years growth fifth the u outcome and the producing power of any orchard absolutely depends upon the care that Is given it in its early stage of growth and development |