462 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



STARTING AN ORCHARD ON A MINNESOTA 

 PRAIRIE. 



J. L. TEIGLAND, MINNEOTA. 



We who live on the prairies of southwestern Minnesota are 

 fortunate in having an excellent soil for orcharding, it being as a 

 rule a deep, black loam, underlaid with clay, which is usually con- 

 sidered an ideal soil for an orchard. 



A north or northeast slope is not so liable to dry out with the 

 southwest wind, and for that reason should be selected in prefer- 

 ence to other slopes. If your site is not already protected from the 

 sweep of the southern and western winds, then you shoiild pre- 



Residence of J. h. Teigland, Minneota. 



pare to have a few rows of golden willows, or other fast grow- 

 ing trees, planted on the south, west and north sides of your site, 

 but leave it open towards the east. If you set out trees for wind 

 protection that are three or four feet in height at the time of plant- 

 ing your fruit trees, they will be large enough to protect the fruit 

 trees by the time they get into bearing. 



In selecting varieties of fruit trees it will depend on whether 

 the orchard is intended for home use or for the market. For home 

 use a person can profitably use a greater number of varieties, but 

 they should be good bearers of fruit of good quality, and their 

 season should range from early summer until late winter. For 

 market it is not, as a rule, advisable to plant many varieties, but 

 they should be heavy bearers of such fruit as would sell well on 



