770 TJIE FRUIT INDUSTRY IN -XEW YORK STATE 



to fruit trees, there is no virtue in the presence of stones, popular 

 opinion as often expressed notwithstanding. 



The not uncommon statement that stones conserve moisture in 

 the soil because it condenses on their under surface is somewhat 

 misleading, for the amount so condensed is not sufficient to lessen 

 either the cultivation or the mulching necessary in these respective 

 methods of orchard management. In neglected orchards where 

 neither cultivation nor efficient mulching is practiced, stones 

 doubtless assist a little in conserving moisture. 



It should be borne in mind that hillsides and slopes from which 

 surface drainage is adequate, or even too rapid, may have very 

 inferior subsoil drainage. This condition is not infrequently found 

 in Xew York, particularly in the southern part of the state where 

 the Volusia silt loam prevails, or wherever there is bed rock of 

 shale. With care it is usually possible to avoid such sites for 

 orchards. If water seeps out to the surface on the lower part of 

 a slope, caution should be observed. Often the upper part of a 

 slope is much better drained than the lower part. 



The term hardpan is in common use to designate a subsoil con- 

 dition which delays the ready percolation of moisture. Its com- 

 mon use, however, has led to marked misunderstanding at least 

 in the eastern states as it unfortunately includes everything 

 ranging from true hardpan to a clay loam, which may constitute 

 a desirable subsoil for orchard purposes. A true hardpan con- 

 sists, not of a subsoil containing sufficient clay to make it retentive 

 of moisture, but of a mixture of sand, gravel, silt, and clay, with 

 more or less cementing material which so binds these ingredients 

 together that the movement of soil moisture either downward or 

 upward is seriously impeded ; or, a hardpan may consist of a thin 

 layer of material matter formed by deposition of salts of iron, 

 lime or other minerals in solution after the formation of the soil 

 or during the process. Such conditions within several feet of the 

 surface are very undesirable. The percentage of such hardpan 

 areas is not great. It is probable that they may be remedied by 

 dynamite used in sufficient quantities to break up the hardpan 

 effectively, this to be followed and supplemented by the use of 

 deep-rooted leguminous cover crops to keep the shattered hardpan 

 friable, but, until the price of naturally good orchard land in 



