OCR Text |
Show SETTING OUT THE COMMERCIAL ORCHARD El 2 B 2 B S.2 HI 2 S I 34343 3434 0 2 0 2 0 3 l 2 0 3 34343 4343 a a 3 a a 3 g 8 0 . The Square Plan Showing Arrangement Arrange-ment for Fillers or for Testing Four Varieties. The Hexagonal Plan Showing Arrangement Ar-rangement for Fillers or for Testing Four Varieties. Three chief factors enter into the selection of the site for an orchard soil, elevation, and exposure. Of these the soil is most important, for even though the elevation and exposure ex-posure be perfect, if the soil is unfa-v6rable, unfa-v6rable, the orchard will be a failure. Clay-loam soil is best for apple growing. In the past the tendency has been to select rather heavy clay-loam clay-loam or clay soils for apple culture. Less heavy clay loams and even soils tending towards a . gravelly nature seem to give better results, usually. Heavy clays are much more difficult to handle; have a tendency to carry the wood growth too late into the summer, and do not give as good color to the fruit as do the somewhat lighter soils. Both late growth and low color are objectionable, and for these reasons rea-sons heavy clays should be avoided t w w w I rule the difficulties which late? arise more than offset the supposed gain. There are instances in which it would be unwise to lose a year's growth of the trees in order to put the land chosen for the orchard in an Ideal condition. con-dition. In the majority rf instances the planting of a commercial orchard is not decided upon so suddenly that preparation previous to planting is not possible. The surface soil should be considered consid-ered from two standpoints the character char-acter of the tilth, and the presence of organic material. While the former is more or less dependent upon the latter, the degree of firmness is a matter that should not be overlooked. There are numerous systems for planting orchards. Many fruit growers grow-ers have worked out their own systems. sys-tems. Those mostly used are the rectangular, quincunx, alternate and hexagonal, or modification of them. The rectangular or square system is most used. In this plan the trees are set at the corners if a rectangular area. Most often the rectangle is a square, but not infrequently the sides are unpqual. This Is the simplest system to lay out. Its chief disadvantage disad-vantage is that It does not make economical use of the land, there being be-ing an area in the center of each rectangle rec-tangle little used by' the trees. The quincunx system was devised to offset the difficulty just mentioned. The alternate system is designed to correct the difficulties arising from the former. It differs from it essentially essen-tially in widening the distance between rows, maintaining the same distances between the trees in the row, and is therefore better adapted to plantings under 40 feet. In the alternate plan with 30 feet apart in the row the rows can be placed much closer together without reducing the space between the trees in adjoining rows so much as to interfere with orchard operations. opera-tions. By this method, the number of trees per acre may be increased, the land better distributed among them, and Inconvenience in orchard operations opera-tions avoided. It will be seen that this method approaches the hexagonal system, for when the diagonal distance dis-tance between the trees of adjoining rows equals that between the trees In the same row, then we have the hexagonal hexa-gonal system. The hexagonal system, or equilateral system, is rapidly gaining favor as the most economical system for plant- o U o I A Staking the Field Before Planting . Hastens the Work and Insures Better Bet-ter Results. By This Method the Stake Is Not Placed Where the Tree Is to Be Set,- but Trees Are Easily Located. where more suitable soils are available. avail-able. It is not to be understood that light or sandy soils are preferred for apple growing. The depth of soil best suited for apple ap-ple culture depends very largely upon the character of the subsoil. With a suitable subsoil very little surface soil Js necessary for success. Good results are being obtained where there is but two or three feet of surface soil underlaid un-derlaid by a suitable subsoil. Pervious limestone subsoil permits the roots to work deeply into it, giv-ir giv-ir ; trees with extensive root systems. The limestone also aids in the production pro-duction of high color, which is so essential es-sential in a good market fruit. It is at lea?t partially due to this fact that the apples produced in some sections are so highly colored. A gravelly subsoil sub-soil would be second choice in selecting select-ing an orchard site. Impervious subsoils are to be avoidant, avoid-ant, especially if they come close to the surface. Such a subsoil hinders deep rooting and not infrequently brings the water table so close to the surface that the root system is confined to a shallow layer just under the surface. Have the orchard site elevated above the surrounding country. This does not mean that it must be the highest piece of land .in the vicinity, but that it should have lower levels in proximity to it. Elevation is an important factor in fruit growing. A rolling site which provides good air drainage and which is somewhat elevated ele-vated is most likely to escape injury from frosts. Exposure is the direction of slope of the site. By a northern exposure is meant a site in which the general slope of the land is towards the north. On rolling sites, it is impossible to have all the land slope in the same direction, but in such cases it is the general slope which is considered. No one exposure is best under all conditions. condi-tions. As a rule, a northern or northeastern north-eastern exposure is preferable. The trees are slower in coming into blossom blos-som in the spring than when the orchard or-chard has a southerly exposure, and therefore there is less danger from late spring frosts. Near large bodies of water best results are secured by having the exposure toward the water. In regions of high winds, much damage dam-age often results from fruit being blown off and from rapid evaporation of moisture. These injuries are reduced re-duced by choosing a site which has an exposure away from prevailing winds. One of the first considerations in planting the orchard is the preparation prepara-tion of the land. It is true that orchards or-chards can be planted on land that has been poorly prepared, but as a A Planting Board Is a Great Aid to Setting Trees at the Right Spot With the Least Difficulty. The Central Notch Is Placed Around the Stake, Two Stakes Are Then Driven in the Other Holes or at the Corners of the Triangle, Then the Stake Is Removed, Re-moved, the Hole Dug and the Tree Set So That It Stands in the Point Formerly Occupied by the Original Stake. ing orchards. In this system each tree is equidistant from the nearest neighbor neigh-bor in any direction. The land is equally distributed among the trees and it is practically all used without crowding the trees. It also has the advantage of increasing the number of trees about 15 per cent over the rectangular rec-tangular system without reducing the distance between trees. There is considerable controversy as to what is. the proper distance between be-tween trees. It is impossible to give any hard and fast rule as to the proper distances, as it will differ materially with climate and soil conditions, and the characteristic growth of the variety. va-riety. There is always a tendency to plant trees too close. This is undoubtedly undoubt-edly due to the fact that there is a desire to use as much of the land from the beginning as possible, and because newly set trees always have the appearance ap-pearance of being farther spart than necessary. o A o o o A" o o O 4 o. ; o o z-si-i o o 3. o ir s 0 o o o & a o o ! uooo ooooo o o o j o o o o o o o J ooooo o o o o a o o j o o o o o o o 00400QO00 o o o o o O O O O O i ooooooooo o o o I Square Quincunx Alternate Hexagonal Four Basic Plans of Planting an Orchard. |