CHAPTER IX. 



Horticulture. 



"Tis an art that doth mend nature aye change it rather, 

 for the art itself is nature". Shakespeare. 



Fruit Culture. 



The essentials of successful fruit culture are markets, loca- 

 tion, elevation, soil, varieties, planting, culture, pruning, spraying 

 and thinning. 



Fruit growing is the refinement of farming, and the or- 

 chardist himself is the greatest determining factor of success. 



Markets. For successful market orcharding the first essen- 

 tial of success is the shipping point. There must be railway fa- 

 cilities or the city market within driving distance. The problem 

 of the fruit grower is to measure his opportunities and possi- 

 bilities for production to supply the demand of an increasing 

 population in thriving cities. 



Location. The orchard site should be selected where the 

 best advantages are afforded. An elevation may afford the nec- 

 essary drainage. Cold air settles in the lowlands, while warm 

 air rises. The altitude of the orchard therefore, often deter- 

 mines the extent of the injury from late frosts in spring. An 

 orchard on the north side of a hill will blossom later in the spring 

 than an orchard on the south slope. A southeast slope is an ideal 

 location for an orchard in a hill country. A large body of water 

 such as Lake Erie will protect an orchard from extremes of 

 temperature. The growth of vegetation may be thus retarded 

 until the danger of late frosts is past. 



Soil. Trees must have food. The food elements essential 

 to the growth of trees are the same as those required by other 

 plants. The soil must be in a good fertile and physical con- 

 dition. A soil filled with humus will act as an insulation against 

 extremes of cold and heat. A soil covered or full of humus re- 

 tains moisture. Potassium gives strength to the woody fiber of 



(141) 



