248 AMERICAN AGRICULTURE. 



CHAPTER XI. 



FRUITS. 



THE production of a variety of fruits, to the extent at least 

 of his own wants, ought to occupy the attention of every 

 farmer. The soil and climate of the United States, are al- 

 most everywhere suited to their cheap and easy propaga- 

 tion. They are a source of profit for the market, they are* 

 useful for stock, and they afford some of \\ie choicest and 

 most economical luxuries for domestic use. Success in their 

 cultivation may at all times be secured, by a judicious selec- 

 tion of trees, soil and location, and by an intelligent and pro- 

 per attention thereafter. 



THE APPLE. 



The locality for the apple orchard must depend entirely 

 on the climate and soil. In warm latitudes, a northerly ex- 

 posure is best when not subject to violent winds, as these 

 from any quarter, are liable to blast the fruit while in blos- 

 som, and blow it from the tree before it is ripe. It is im- 

 portant to protect an orchard from the bleak winds which 

 prevail in its immediate neighborhood, by n judicious selec- 

 tion of the ground. A warm and sunny exposure subjects 

 the buds in spring to premature swelling, and these are often 

 cut off by the severe spring frosts that follow ; when a colder 

 position would retard their budding until the season was 

 sufficiently advanced for their protection. 



Soil. All the varieties of soil between a stiff, unyielding 

 clay and a light, shifting sand, are friendly to the apple. 

 The soil best suited to the perfection of fruit is a moist, fria- 

 ble, calcareous loam, slightly intermixed with fine gravel. 

 This may run either into a sandy loam, which usually rests 

 upon a sub-soil of sand or gravel, or into a clayey loam 

 with a sub-soil of stiff clay. Either of these is a good soil 

 for the orchard. The ground should be rich enough for the 

 production of good crops of grain, roots or grass. This degree 

 11* 



