ORCHARD PLAXS 113 



trees were never very large, but it used to be 

 taken for granted that the apple tree should be 

 of gigantic proportions; so that the half dwarf 

 trees on which the best apples of to-day are 

 grown might seem to the casual observer to 

 belong to a different family of plants from their 

 progenitors. 



As to other desirable qualities, much depends 

 upon the location of the orchard and the market 

 that the orchardist has in view. 



It goes without saying that the varieties to be 

 selected must be of a character adapted to the 

 climate and soil of the chosen region. As to this, 

 the restrictions imposed by nature are more or 

 less familiar to every fruit grower. In general, 

 you may judge to a certain extent from observa- 

 tion of what is already grown in your neighbor- 

 hood as to what kinds of trees will thrive there. 

 The chief restrictions are those imposed by con- 

 ditions of temperature, and of course tempera- 

 ture is influenced not merely by the latitude but 

 by distance above the sea level and the neigh- 

 borhood of large bodies of water. 



The presence of moisture in the air has a pro- 

 tecting influence, chiefly in that it prevents radi- 

 ation of heat at night. Every orchardist knows 

 that the danger from frost increases in propor- 

 tion as the night is clear. The now familiar 



