6 THE BOOK OF THE APPLE 



a good sized one containing sufficient room for all the 

 various forms. 



The reason of the Standard being so valuable for 

 orchard-planting lies chiefly in the fact that it is grafted 

 upon the Crab stock, and its roots, therefore, are much 

 better able to find nourishment in the rough and prac- 

 tically unfilled grass land, than would be those forms that 

 are grafted upon the Paradise. The roots of the Crab 

 are strong, and go far and deep in search of food and 

 moisture, and are thus better suited to rough ground 

 than the more tender and fibrous ones of the Paradise. 

 So long as orchards on grass land continue to be planted, 

 so long will the Standard apple grafted upon the Crab 

 stock be in demand. The necessity, or at any rate 

 the propriety, of having a clear stem of several feet 

 is obvious. In grass orchards either a crop of hay is 

 gathered from the field, or perhaps cattle are turned 

 out to graze in it; with dwarf trees such would, of 

 course, be out of the question. In many market 

 nurseries the ground underneath the Standard trees 

 of apples and pears is devoted to the culture of small 

 fruits, such as gooseberries, currants, etc., and of various 

 spring flowers that thrive well, and are cut before the 

 trees become thickly covered with leaves. The draw- 

 back to the Standard apple tree is that it does not come 

 into good bearing until some years after planting; indeed, 

 it does not attain its full-bearing capacity until from 

 twenty to thirty years old. When about six or seven 

 years old, however, fair crops may be expected if the 

 trees have been properly treated; but, as before men- 

 tioned, the land need not be left idle during the time 

 that the fruit trees are developing. If the field was pre- 

 viously used for grazing or the grass mown for hay, it 

 is altogether as good for the purpose still, or, if it is 

 desired, the grass may be turned over, and the ground 

 prepared for the culture of bush fruits, strawberries, or 



