132 Report of State Board of Horticulture, 



Double Flantmg. — In order to bring all of the soll of the orchard into 

 early Service, some of our best orchardists, especially in Eastern Oregon, 

 recommend the planting of two or niore types of trees at the time of 

 setting out the orchard. For example: If the orchard is to be composed 

 of Standard varieties, set at forty feet apart, half way between the trees 

 each way should be set trees of some early-bearing varieties. As the 

 Standard trees begin to bear, these "fillers," as they are commonly termed, 

 may be removed. The advantages claimed for this mode of planting is 

 that the Standards are protected by the fillers, which come to maturity 

 earlier and a crop is produced from the soll, thus helping to pay the 

 expenses of tillage for the period during which the Standards are growing 

 wood. Others of our leading orchardists contend that better results foUow 

 the growing of herbaceous crops, as potatoes, beets, tomatoes, and even 

 corn. The tendency of most people to leave trees, when planted as fillers, 

 until they encroach upon the space and food supply of the regulär planta- 

 tion, leads one to accept the latter view as being the better for the average 

 planter to follow. There is a greater probability that annual croüs 

 be discontinued before their culture would in any way detract from the 

 care and food supply required by the permanent plantation. 



Plan of Planting. — There are two general styles of orchard plantings, 

 the hexagonal and the Square. Fig. 12 represents a plat planted on the 

 hexagonal plan. The rows are twenty-eight and one-half feet apart three 

 ways, while the trees are thirty-three feet apart. Fig. 13 represents a 

 plat planted on the Square plan. The rows are thirty-two feet apart at 

 right angles. Even at the closer distance in this latter plan there are 

 less trees to the acre. With rows farther apart, there would be about the 

 Same relative difference between the numbers of trees per acre on the 

 separate plans. 



Fig. 13. 48 trees, 32 feet apart. 



