118 LUTHER BURBAISTK 



of the varieties of fruit he is to select. Color is 

 one of the most important characteristics of the 

 fruit from the market man's standpoint. The 

 purchaser at the fruit stand will very generally 

 pick out the highly colored fruit, often without 

 considering its quality. 



THE ORCHARD SITE 



In dealing with an old orchard the fruit 

 grower must obviously take the trees as he finds 

 them. But in developing a new orchard he 

 should give very careful attention to the exact 

 topographical conditions. The matter of drain- 

 age of the soil is generally very important, and 

 also the question of exposure to sunlight and 

 wind. 



If your orchard site slopes toward the south, 

 and does not lie in the shade of mountains nor 

 where it is subject to the equalizing influence of 

 a large body of water, the trees are likely to be 

 so stimulated by the nearly perpendicular rays 

 of the sun as sometimes to blossom before the 

 time of the late frosts. Early blossoming might 

 at first thought be considered an advantage; but 

 it is a general rule that trees which blossom early 

 ripen their fruit late, whereas those that blossom 

 late are usually early ripeners. The obvious ex- 

 planation is that the trees that flower late and 



