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Show GROWING FRUIT ON DRY LAND Important Point to Remember Is to Plant All Trees and Small Plants Farther Apart Than Custcm. I (By JOll.V ROHKRTSOX. Hot Springs. S. D.) In growing fruit without irrigation, all trees and small fruit plants must be planted farther apart than is the custom. This is a very important point to remember, Where there is little rainfall and a dry subsoil, each tree or plant must have enough individual indi-vidual surface surrounding It to draw-moisture draw-moisture from, according to its size and nature of growth. We cannot get something for nothing, nor can we grow plants without moisture; and they must have enough to do their best. Those who are planting apple trees 16 feet apart each way on dry subsoil land cannot succeed. This is just as certain as that two given numbers make a certain sum In a mathematical problem. Apple trees should not be planted cJoser than 30 feet apart each way. They will not need all the moisture between them at this distance dis-tance apart until ten or twelve years old, and small fruits or other crops may be grown between them till about this age, but one must use care and judgment as to how much or how long to crop between the trees. It is better bet-ter to make the mistake of cropping too little than too much. Trees planted plant-ed 16 feet apart will grow as well as those 30 feet apart for the first ten years, if there 1b nothing planted between be-tween them, but after, about that time there will not be moisture enough to supply the increasing drain made as they grow larger. Even if three-fourths three-fourths of the trees were dug out, nothing noth-ing would have been gained, for the orchard would only be starting to bear paying crops of fruit; while if the rows are 30 feet apart, and one row of small fruit plants are set between each two rows of trees, by the time the trees need all the moisture, the small fruits will have done their best, and one can dig them up, feeling he has been well repaid. It is important, too, that the outside row of any kind of trees or plants be planted not closer than 15 feet from a prairie grass growing border. There is little moisture mois-ture under a prairie sod after a long dry spell. The land should be in thorough cultivation cul-tivation before trees are planted, and the last plowing should be extra deep, because it Is not going to be plowed again and should be in condition to take in a heavy rainfall. No expensive tools are required; simply a strong 12-lnch plow set to run deep and a good team to pull it. |
