THE ORCHARD. 43 



In a majority of the orch&rds of the State that I have seen trees are 

 not more than fifteen feet apart, and some even twelve. I have not met a 

 man whose orchard is ten years old and twelve feet apart, but would pre- 

 fer thirty. In this connection there is another error to be regretted, and 

 that is to encumber an apple orchard with small fruits, such as currants, 

 gooseberries, blackberries and raspberries. The ground should be dedi- 

 cated to trees alone and they not closer than thirty by thirty feet. 



My orchard grounds contain ten acres in a square farm. I have 

 planted as a wind-break black locust thirty feet apart on the outer line of 

 the grounds. On the North and West lines I have set, fifteen feet apart, 

 three varieties of the best native plums I could get. The line of plum 

 trees alternate the space between the locust trees, and set so as to give 

 fifteen feet to the first row of apple trees. The habits of growth of 

 the locust and plum trees are low-headed, and for this reason I conclude 

 will make a good wind-break. This arrangement leaves space for setting 

 twenty-one rows thirty feet apart running East and West, and twenty rows 

 North and South, aggregating 443 apple trees. I have made my selection 

 of trees so as to give me a succession of fruit the year round of winter, 

 fall and summer varieties. As the most profitable kinds I note them in the 

 following order : Winter long keepers, first ; fall, second ; and summer, 

 third. In locating my trees I have arranged so as to have the hardier 

 varieties North of the more tender, but in no instance have I named a 

 tree I have not seen bear fruit and do well in Colorado. 



A summary will show my orchard to contain 221 winter trees, 167 

 fall, 31 summer, aggregating 23 kinds. 



I believe success of orchard culture will be best secured by an entire 

 dedication of the ground to growing trees. 



To my mind it is somewhat questionable for the best success in 

 orchard culture to grow any kind of crops on orchard grounds, and 

 especially such crops as are exhaustive of plant food. The rootlets of 

 apple trees soon take possession of the orchard grounds. The rootlets of 

 a full grown apple tree are said to extend thirty feet from its trunk, and 

 as a matter of course must be impoverished by the growth of other crops. 



Water is the solvent of all vegetable food, and its proper application 

 is a question of paramount importance to orchard culture. Happily for 

 the fruit culturists of Colorado, in most localities you can have water at 

 will, which is an advantage that will discount the contingencies of natural 

 rainfall. Excessive rainfall and scorching drouth are not necessarily 



