FACTORS IN FRUIT GROWING SECTIONS. 29 



(c) Perhaps no question is more important than that of 

 deciding at what height the trees should branch out. This will 

 depend much on location. Trees with long trunks certainly 

 tend to make cultivation methods easy and in very favorable 

 sections they may be safely thus trained. In the Middle states 

 and the Pacific coast states, best results have come from al- 

 lowing the branches of trees to start within two feet of or close 

 to the ground and thus the trunk is protected against sunscald 

 and other climatic troubles. 



(d) It is generally advisable to shorten the roots of or- 

 dinary two-year-old apple and pear trees and vigorous one- 

 year-old plum and p-each trees to about eight inches, where there 

 are several roots, as such treatment facilitates planting and does 

 not injure the trees. Larger trees should hav-e their roots short- 

 ened in the same proportion and the ragged ends of roots should 

 always be cut off before planting. Such pruning as this may 

 easily be done with a sharp hatchet on a block. 



QUESTIONS CHAPTER I. 



1. What Is meant by accessibility? 



2. What are the characteristics of a good fruit growing section? 



3. What soils are best adapted to different fruits? 



4. What is the composition of limestone soil? Of clay loam? Of 

 sandy loam? Of sandy soil? Of mucky soil? Of prairie soil? Of 

 clay soil? 



3. What is meant by the topography of a country? 



6. What is the best location for fruit growing? 



7. What are some of the things upon which the success of fruit 

 growing depends? 



8. What is the result of an overproduction of fruit? 



9. What are some of the problems that a fruit grower has to 

 contend with? 



10. What treatment does the soil need In a fruit orchard? 



11. What are the reasons for cultivation of the soil? 



12. What is humus? Of what value is it in the soil? 



13. How may fruit trees be grown in sod? 



14. What are the advantages of a mulch to a fruit crop? What 

 are the disadvantages? 



15. What is a cover crop? What are the advantages of a cover 

 crop? 



16. How may the advantages of cover crops be combined with 

 cultivation ? 



17. What field crops are used as cover crops for the orchard? 



18. How much seed should be sown per acre In order to get a 

 d cover crop? 



19. Is it practicable to raise garden crops In the orchard? What 

 crops are best to grow? 



20. How is the orchard planted with fillers? 



