364 ANNUAL BEPORT. 



In selecting an orchard site look less to convenience than to 

 adaptability. If there is a fact in horticulture that is proven 

 beyond a doubt, it is that our orchards should be planted on 

 northern slopes, northeastern being most desirable, southwestern 

 least so. The reason is that the latter site will have the greatest 

 extremes of temperature, and the former the least. In this coun- 

 try we sometimes have practically but two seasons — summer 

 and winter; instance the season just past — and we find that the 

 sun is the root of most of our pomological evils. Your orchard 

 that is nicely protected by a dense grove just north of it, with 

 the ground sloping to the south, giving it a warm, sheltered site, 

 was taking delightful sun baths all through last October, and 

 was kej)t in growing condition till fairly into November, followed 

 by the coldest December that Dakota has ever known, and next 

 spring before the ground thaws the mercury may stand for hours 

 at summer heat in that same sheltered nook. Your trees are 

 full of a watery sap, the leaves, that, act as escape valves in 

 summer are still in bud, and the sap cells are filled to 

 their utmost capacity by the action of the sun's rays. At 

 night the inevitable freezing bursts them and the mischief is 

 done. You have killed your trees with mistaken kindness. 

 Apropos of this subject, E. Gaylord, of Nora Springs, Iowa, writ- 

 ing under date of Sept. 25, 1882, in reference to the cold Christ- 

 mas of 1879, and the sudden thaw which followed immediately 

 after, thus remarks upon a kind of protection that does not pro- 

 tect, and another kind that does. In all our exposed and unpro- 

 tected orchards the trees came out in fine condition; but in our 

 protected sites, hemmed in by hill and timber, they barely had 

 the breath of life left in them. The Duchess grew three inches 

 the season following in the latter orchard, and twelve inches in 

 the former. The sun kills more trees than all other causes. As 

 to the soil for an orchard, avoid alluvial soils, and, if jjossible, 

 select an elevated site with a clay subsoil, avoiding very sandy 

 soil and valleys. If your land is wet and flat, plow by throV ing 

 the soil toward the tree, and drain off all surplus water. Fruit 

 trees will not thrive in wet, sour soil. It is best to have the land 

 in thorough cultivation before planting, but we find that by the 

 use of a little mulch we can avoid the ill effects of the lack of 

 previous cultivation. Now, as to the varieties to plant. If you 

 are wise you will plant but few varieties, leaving the testing of 

 new sorts to the nurserymen. Nature has been very kind to us 

 in the quality of the apples that have proven successful here, the 



