194 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



the experimental Side Hill Orchard of the Jewell Nursery Company- 

 would be of benefit to someone. 



Were I to plant a hillside orchard for myself I would select a hill- 

 side with a north slope and with an elevation of from one to five feet 

 in thirty feet; a rich sandy loam with some clay in subsoil and under- 

 laid with rock. If covered with wood cut stumps from ten to twelve 

 inches above ground. If oak they will rot out in ten years. If possible 

 to stake out levels before chopping trees I would grub trees where 

 plow was to be used doing this work in the fall or winter. Early in 

 the spring using a hillside plow a terrace eight or ten feet wide should 

 be made thirty feet center to center following the contour of the land 

 placing the first terrace at the foot of the hill. Plow deep and harrow 

 these terraces during the summer and plant trees twenty-five feet 

 apart the following spring. Use Virginia crab two years from the piece 

 root graft with low head eighteen to twenty-four inches trunk. Plant 

 firm, two inches deeper than grown in the nursery, cut all bruised 

 roots with a sharp knife. The branches will be ready to graft the 

 second spring from planting using the whip graft method. 



As to variety of apple to plant for commercial purposes, only two 

 varieties should be grown namely: Wealthy and N. W. Greening. 

 Wealthy of course is my first choice. They can be harvested from 

 August to October and will keep until April by proper cooling, sort- 

 ing, and storage. Northwest Greening is my next choice; the fruit 

 hangs well, can be picked after Wealthy and is ready to use after 

 January 1. 



A filler crop is necessary to furnish quick returns the first seven 

 years while the apple trees are developing. We cannot grow peaches 

 or pears as do our western friends but we can grow curants and rasp- 

 berries and with slight shade gooseberries. Plant currants six feet 

 apart or three bushes between each tree. 



Cultivation is very important and should be thoroughly done. 

 For two years a team cultivator can be used but later a one-horse 

 cultivator only. 



The second year of the currant bushes spraying will begin and 

 roads will be needed to reach them. The first plan must include a 

 road from foot of hill to top at such an angle as to admit of team haul- 

 ing up outfit. 



Every second space between the levels where trees are planted 

 will be used as roads leveling same by sidehill plow, care being taken 

 at intersection with up hill road that water is diverted onto level roads. 

 Care must also be taken that water is not allowed to wash over side 

 of levels but led along levels until absorbed. A harrow is one of the 

 best tools to use on these levels. 



I was surprised to find how much water was absorbed by the 

 cultivated levels of our hillside orchard so much that the grass water 

 runs in the grain field below could be plowed without fear of wash- 



