SOIL TYPES FOII VARIETIES OF APPLES 771 



the East is much higher than now, it is unquestionably better 

 economies to select soils which do not need the dynamite treat- 

 ment to render them lit for planting fruit trees. Where the sub- 

 soil is impervious in an orchard already planted, and drainage con- 

 sequently defective, tile drains, though involving considerable ex- 

 pense, are the best remedy. Evaporation of excess moisture may 

 also be increased by non-cultivation or by transpiration through 

 growing a crop. Conversely, if the soil tends to dry out too 

 quickly, cultivation should be frequent, and a good supply of 

 humus should be maintained to conserve the moisture. While such 

 manipulation of method to suit the circumstances in the individual 

 orchards should constantly be made use of, it has its limitations 

 and does not at all do away with the desirability of selecting the 

 soils best adapted to the individual variety; namely, those soils 

 which will require a minimum of manipulation to effect the best 

 soil environment. 



Detailed study shows that in highly developed localities where 

 climate, transportation facilities and local markets are the same, 

 the different varieties of apples are usually not equally well 

 grown on all soils, and consequently that a given variety of com- 

 mercial worth is not necessarily of equal desirability for all 

 growers or all soils in the same locality. Descriptions of soils 

 favorable to the growth of certain varieties follow. 



RHODE ISLAND GKEENING SOILS 



A surface soil of heavy silty loam or light silty clay loam with 

 similar subsoil excels for the " green " Rhode Island Greening. 

 Such soil will retain sufficient moisture to be classed as a moist 

 soil, yet is not so heavy as ever to be ill-drained, if surface drain- 

 age is adequate. The soil should be moderately rich in organic 

 matter. In the region where this apple is commercially grown, 

 such soils are generally grayish rather than brownish in color, but 

 this characteristic does not always follow. A medium to heavy 

 friable, well-oxidized, brown loam, with subsoil of same character 

 or a little heavier, is more favorable to a moderate blush, and in 

 New England gives a good quality of fruit for all purposes except 

 the commercial market. 



In the Germantown District, of Columbia County, where heavy 



