352 Landscape Gardening 



The Soil 



Much of the success of the work in the fruit-garden will 

 depend upon the character of the soil. That which is best 

 for the greater variety of fruits is a deep sandy loam not 

 easily affected by drouth. Should the soil in the different 

 parts of the garden vary, the apples, pears, quinces, and 

 red raspberries, currants, and gooseberries should be planted 

 on that which is the most moist; while the peach, cherry, 

 grape, plum, and blackberry will succeed in lighter soil. 

 Any kind of soil, however, may be improved somewhat in 

 character at a little expense. Thus a light soil may be 

 made more retentive of moisture by ploughing under stable 

 manure, leaf-mould, peat, or other organic matter, while the 

 moisture in all kinds of soil may be conserved and plant food 

 developed by deep ploughing in the spring and frequent 

 stirring of the surface-soil during the summer. 



Very heavy soils may be improved by underdraining, by 

 deep ploughing, by the appHcation of sand, or by ploughing 

 the land into beds with rounded surfaces so that the 

 surface-water will run off quickly. 



The slope of the land also affects some crops very 

 materially: thus a southern, southeast, or southwest slope is 

 most favorable to the growth and maturity of the grape and 

 to the early ripening of the other fruits, while the peach, 

 quince, and raspberry succeed better when planted on a 

 northern exposure. 



A close sheltered place is not desirable if peaches, cherries, 

 plums, and grapes are to be grown, as fungous diseases are 

 more liable to attack them under such conditions than if 

 planted upon high land. The grape is less subject to late 

 frosts in the spring or early frosts in the fall, while in low 

 land the fruit-buds are often destroyed by these frosts. 



It will often be found that the garden selected is not 



