CORNELL READING-COURSE 

 FOR FARMERS. 



Issued by the College of Agriculture, Cornell TIniversity, 

 Itliaca, N. T., in the months of November, December, 

 January, February and March. 



Entered at the Post office at Ithaca, N. Y., as second class 

 matter under act of July, 18%. 



READING-LESSON 



NO. 12. 

 DECEMBER, 1900. 



BY JOHN CRAIG. 



Orcharding. 



A SURVEY OF THE PRELIMINARIES. 



Classes of fritit gr Givers. — There are two kinds of orcliardists. 

 The person who grows fruit primarily for family use and because 

 the work is interesting is termed an amateur.* On the other hand, 

 tlie person who makes orcharding a main or strong feature of his 

 farming operations is called a commercial grower. Every one who 

 lias land may be an amateur fruit grower ; but favorable soil and 

 climatic conditions, coupled with industry, intelligence and per- 

 severance, are needed to make the successful commercialist. 



The site. It is possible to groio good aj^jjles for a few years on 

 almost any kind of soil ; hut if we vxndd grow long-lived trees and 

 fruit of superior quality., then the climate^ site and soil must all 

 he favorable. — The site is the place in which we intend to plant tlie 

 orchard. We may have two or tlir(X3 sites ecpially desirable and 

 differing only in the .direction of their slope. The slope is what 

 orcliardists term the aspect, as, for instance, a southern aspect, a 

 northern aspect, eastern or western. This matter of aspect is 

 important. The south and west slopes are hottest in summer and 

 present better opportunity for sudden climatic changes than northern 

 or eastern slopes. Does this agree with the plant as well as more 

 equable conditions ? On south slopes, peach trees, for instance, are 

 brought into flower earlier than on north and east slopes, con- 

 sequently are more liable to frost injury. In a succeeding lesson 

 we shall talk about the reasons of frost injury to trees dormant and 



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