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Show Planting and Care of Orchards Up to the Time of Bearing Hy JOMX l'. McrilKUSOV, Idaao State Horticiill unit Inspector. Oregon Short Line Demonstration Train Lecture. In selecting land for an orchard site, there are three thinus I hat should be taken into consideration: the lay of the land, drainage, and depth of soil. Land should not only be selected which will give good soli drainage, but air drainage should also be taken Into consideration. It is a well known fact that cold air always settles In low places, and the planting of orchards In such places should be avoided, Inasmuch Inas-much as they are more susceptible fo frosts. It Is also very important that land selected for horticultural purposes should bo a deep and well-drained well-drained soli, so that at no time will water be allowed to stand around tho trees, and the soil should be of good depth, so the trees will have ample room to develop their root system. The best results cannot be attained by planting on shallow soil. Trees planted un shallow solid are bound to be surface sur-face feeders and will not stand drought, and will require 'more water and more frequent irrigation than trees planted on deeper soil. The varieties of upphs to be planted In any sect ion should be governed a great deal by the length of the growing grow-ing Bcason and the elevation at which they are to be planted. Some sections have a longer growing season than others, und In selecting commercial varieties to be planted, the length of tho growing season should bo taken Into consideration. The planter should Ftudy his own locality, and the conditions' condi-tions' existing there before selecting his varieties. Varieties should be selected se-lected ho that the fruit will reach a good size, and have good color and texture in th given number of months which will be the growing season In that section. Tho growing of fruit on the western slope has reached such a staue that' no planter can ufford to plant any fruit otln r than the commercial com-mercial varieties, und the fewer number num-ber of varieties that are planted in ny Mio section, the better for the grower when the fruit comes into b' aiing, as too many varieties are now raised on the wester lope which have no commercial value anJ are not of gooQ keeping quality. - j There U a great deal of difference i In the opinions of various hortlcultur-1 Itits on the western slope at to the age of trees used lu planting but the best results have been attained by the planting of one year jld, well-developed tre 8. As a general rule, stock from four to six feet, with a good top and root Is used, and In purchasing such nursery stock, It is well to buy from some reliable nurseryman as hear borne aa possible. In this way, the planter can fee Just what he is buying. Spring planting Is generally practiced in Idaho, although some fall planting Is done. In buying trees for all planting, the planter should be leitaln that the trees are well matured ma-tured before purchasing. In some uses, the nurseryman will strip the rei s 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 the spring is begun! J ' t s-1 as soon aa the spring freez: s are over, and the sill Is dried out, no that It Is mellow when hamj d. As a gen-ral gen-ral rule, the apple trees are planted rom thirty to thlity-three feet apart. This distance gives them ample room to build up a good root system, and .mple soil from which to feed upon. In planting, the holes are dug about 2x2. The first 8 to 10 Inches of the top soil is placed in one pile by itself and the subsoil In another. The tree is placed In the hole at about the game depth, or possibly a little deeper than when It grew In the nursery. The top soli Is then placed In the hole first and Is well packed in around the roots, by using Borne blunt Instrument that ill not bruis the root 3. As six n hi the top b ill is placed In the hole, a quantity of wa-tej wa-tej should be run in. and the trees well settled by slightly pulling It up and down while the water is sinking away. As soon aa this Is done, the sub-soil should th'-n hi added and well tamped In. The hole should be well filled and a dust mulch left on top. Hefore the tree Is planted, the rooti ihould receive some ilight trimming, cutting away any Injured root!, or any root that has abnormal growth, and will not lay straight In the hole when planted. The tree should be set with the Urger root! toward the prevailing pre-vailing wind. The top should also be aiUhtly leaned in this direction. In thU way, the tree will gain a good ro-t !stem b- fore It Is bent over or thrown out of line by the prevailing winds. Another nithod ued In lome of the old established fruit sections of Idaho Is the planting of corn every third or fourth row In new orchards, parallel to the prevailing winds. T.ie coin grows to a good height at an early date In the fining, and furnishes furnish-es a good wind break. After the tree has been planted, the top should bo cut back to correspond with the root system. The average height In cutting cut-ting hack a tree from four to six feet, Is from twenty-four to thirty six inches. The cutting back of smaller trees should be at the same rate. This operation Is very Important, us It Is very essential to form a good root system before the top l allowed to develop. After the tree has been planted care should be given, and the moisture mois-ture In the soli should be carefully watched, bo that there will be enough moisture In the soil at all times to make a maximum growth, although too much water is Jut as bad as not enough, and good cultivation Is Just as essential as Irrigation, in fact, some of the best orchards In the state of Idaho ure those which are extensively culiivated, and a minimum amount of water used. In some of tho orchard districts of Idaho the soil bus become alkaline by the excessive use of water. wa-ter. One of the essential things in the care of nn orchard the second year is the forming of the scaffold limbs, or tho frame-work of the tree. From three to five limbs ehould 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, selecting, se-lecting, if jKissilde, three limbs to the windward side and two to the lee, so that the tree will be equally balanced. These scaffold linilis hhould be divided di-vided around the body of the tree, and It is not well to have one Immediately above the other. The forming of th scuffoM limbs on young trees Is the most important work iu the growing of a new orchard. We should alwa)! strive to have our trees us low-headed as possible, as this will reduce the coKt of Bpruylng, harvesting, and the general caie of the orchard when it ( oiiich Into bearing. In pruning a t.ee tho third year, tho second year growth should be cut back all but auoui twelve to el;-,.ileen in; lies. This will caiiBo each scaffold limb to throw out add.-llonai limbs; two of these should be allowed graw, the others should b-j prun away. Tho pruning of the tree from then on should be, up to the time ol bearing, along the sa.nc line as Is done the second and third year, and each )ear allowing two uduitlonal limbs to grow from the last y?arb' growth. In this way, at the time of bearing, you will have a low-headed stocky, and well developed tree, und one whlct will be able to bear its fruit In a gooc quuntlty without breaking down uudei the load. There is no certain time that can be het as to when spraying should be begun on newly planted orchards foi the different Insect pestB. Some ol the best orchardists in the state commence com-mence spraying the s-'cond and third year after planting. This Is done an general preventive against disease! and Insect pests. Limo and sulphui solution Is used at a strength ol from one gallon of lime solution tc 10 or 11 parts of water. A solution of kerosene emulsion or Ulack Ieaf 4C Is used in spraying young orchards foi the differ ut species of aphis that are prevalent on young frees. A careful watch should be kept on youii3 treei and if 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 tre s In a healthy grow Ing condition is by watching then: closely and keeping; them free from the different pests and fundus dUoaaei that destroy our orchards. In conclusion, there are five im portant factors that should be borne In mind at all times In the growing of a young orchard; the election of a deep, well drained soil; second, th purchasing of first-class nursery stock with a good thrifty growth, and free from diseases; third, the careful and economical Irrigation and thorough cultivation; fourth, the proper pruning, pru-ning, and th forming of the frame work of the tree at the beginning of Its second year's growth; fifth, the ultimate outcome and the producing power of any orchard aliBulutely de pends upon the care that U given if In Its early stage of growth and de v lopnient. A noted sociologist tells th- follow Ing atory of a woman iu a southert manufacturing town. Apprtiaehini her for statistics, h ak-d: "Madam, "Ma-dam, have you any children?" "No," she replied. "I have io work In tb factory myself." Life. |