AN IMPROVED PLAN OF ORCHARDING. 149 



AN IMPROVED PLAN OF ORCHARDING. 



C. G. PATTEN, CHARLES CITY, IOWA. 



To the grower of the large fruits the subject of orcharding is 

 without doubt an important one, but after listening to and reading 

 the writings of thoughtful and practical men, I have not heretofore 

 thought that I could add an3^thing of real value to the subject; 

 within a year or two, however, partly through chance in iny work 

 and partlj' by observation, it appears to me that I have acquired 

 some new ideas that will tend to promote the cause for which we 

 labor. 



My plan is as follows: Plant the orchard in blocks, three rows in 

 a block, rows twelve feet apart, and trees fourteen feet apart in the 

 row; plant so that the trees in the outside rows will stand opposite 

 the spaces on the inside row. They will then stand practically 

 fourteen feet apart, and each tree will afford shade and protection 

 to other trees. I would, however, where there is no protection on 

 the south or where not convenient or desirable to plant a grove, 

 begin by planting the first three trees in the outside rows eight 

 feet apart and two trees on the inside row, so as to form a wind- 

 break to the block as early as it could be done, closing the block 

 on the north end by planting two rows across the block eight feet 

 apart. This plan will put on a plat of land eighteen rods long by 

 nine rods wide, two rods over an acre, 144: trees, or eight trees more 

 than can be planted on an acre sixteen by twenty feet apart, and 

 has many advantages over trees so planted. Upon this plat of land 

 two blocks can be planted occupying only three rods of land, leav- 

 ing six rods to be cultivated in some hoed crop. By this plan the 

 best of air drainage is afforded through the wide spaces, fifty feet, 

 between the blocks, and the chances of blightconsiderably lessened. 



Thick planting in the manner stated soon inakes every tree pro- 

 tect other trees from the hot suns of summer and early spring, pre- 

 vents the fruit from being blown so readily from the trees, catches 

 the snow and holds it better than in the old way of planting and 

 gives better protection against the fierce, drying winter winds. It 

 gets more trees on an acre and saves more than half of the land for 

 other crops. The cultivation of the spaces between the blocks pre- 

 vents the drying out of the soil immediately adjoining the or- 

 chard, which is so essential in seasons of drought; it affords an 

 opportunit}'^ for growing clover, a most valuable fertilizer, just 

 where it is needed and at the season when it is needed most; it per- 

 mits its easy application in a perfectly green stage, when it will 

 soonest decay and return its abundant plant food to the soil, and at 

 the same time it will serve as a mulch to prevent the evaporation of 

 inoisture that is so inuch needed for the perfect development of 

 the growing fruit. Where only a small orchard is desired, when 

 the rows become so large that they can no longer be cultivated, 

 barnyard manure can be readily applied; but when the orchard is 

 on a large scale, it will be seen at a glance that clover is the best 

 and inost practical fertilizer that can be had. When it beconaes 

 necessary to spray the orchard, it affords the best opportunity to 



