IDEAL PLUM OR PRUNE 97 



PLANNING THE PLUM ORCHARD 



The old way of planning an orchard was to 

 look over a catalogue and order half a dozen of 

 this or half a dozen of that, especially if the name 

 sounded good, without asking any questions or 

 gaining information as to whether the varieties 

 selected were adapted to the region where they 

 were to be grown. 



And the old way for the grower or nursery 

 man was to accept the form of the tree as it 

 tended to grow, with little or no attempt to 

 change it. 



But the new way is for the intending orchard- 

 ist to select his varieties with the utmost care, 

 paying careful heed to questions of soil and 

 climate, and introducing only such fruits 

 as are adapted to the conditions that must 

 be met. And as to the trees themselves, when 

 they begin to grow, the modern plant im- 

 prover is by no means content to leave every- 

 thing to nature. He takes a hand from the 

 outset, and largely determines the form of 

 the tree. 



Moreover, the up-to-date orchardist will look 

 beyond the existing form, and recognize that it 

 requires both imagination and labor to produce 

 the ideal tree. 



4 Vol. 4 Bur. 



