Early frosts in the fall and sudden increases of temperature in the spring, 

 followed by severe late spring frost, may cause considerable damage. 



Strong winds are destructive to both trees and fruit and should be 

 provided against by planting wind breaks. The existence of strong winds 

 may be indicated by the trees being permanently bent. 



2. Chemical Composition of the Soil. 



The soil must contain all chemical plant food elements and decayed 

 organic matter or humus. As a rule if the soil is deep, these are all pres- 

 ent in sufficient quantity with the exception of humus which is often lack- 

 ing . The lack of organic matter can, however, be corrected by growing 

 suitable crops. 



The soil and subsoil should be free from alkali salts. This may be 

 indicated by the character of the native plants. Sagebrush and buffalo 

 grass usually indicate that the soil is easily cultivated, well drained, deep, 

 free from alkali and fertile in chemical plant food, but some times deficient 

 in humus. Greasewood and salt grass indicate the presence of alkali. An 

 analysis of the soil will be of great value. The soil should be rich in 

 potash, phosphoric acid, nitrogen, lime and humus. 



3. Texture of Soil and Subsoil. 



The best soil is one which is deep, retentive of moisture and underlaid 

 with an open subsoil. The presence of a hard or impervious stratum 

 closer than 5 feet to the surface is injurious and a greater depth is prefer- 

 able. The hard stratum prevents deep rooting which is essential for fruit 

 trees. A shallow soil underlaid with open gravel may not have sufficient 

 plant food, will require frequent irrigations, and may cause a large waste 

 of water. Fruit trees will grow in a variety of soil. Apples prefer a deep, 

 retentive loam rich in humus. Cherries will probably do best on a well 

 drained, sandy soil or light clay loam, rich in plant foods, but it should not 

 contain an excess of nitrogen, which has a tendency to produce excessive 

 wood growth. Peach trees will do best on sandy soil. Pears will grow 

 best on clay soils and can be grown on the heavier bottom lands. They all 

 require a deep, rich, well drained soil. 



The character of the soil and subsoil is best determined by boring holes 

 with a soil auger to a depth of 10 feet. 



The behavior of the soil when irrigated is important. A clay soil or 

 soil which is very close will absorb water very slowly and is more difficult 

 to cultivate and will probably bake after each irrigation. As a rule a 

 sandy loam irrigates well and is easy to cultivate but a very porous soil 

 will allow the water to percolate freely beyond the reach of the plant roots 

 without spreading sideways when applied in furrows. 

 4. Location and Site of Orchard. 



The orchard must have good air drainage as well as soil drainage. The 

 best air drainage is obtained on rolling lands, on hillsides or on the benches 

 well above the bottoms or lower sides of ravines or depressions where the 

 cold air settles at night. A very desirable location is found at the upper 

 end of small valleys. What is desired is the daily occurence of good air 

 currents. 



There seems to be considerable difference of opinion as regards proper 

 exposure. A southern exposure will usually produce earlier fruit because 

 of the earlier growth in the spring, but where there is danger of injury be- 

 cause of late spring frosts a northern exposure will retard the budding and 

 there is less liability of the trees being injured. 



