20 HORTICULTURE, FORESTRY, FLORICULTURE 



Sand will lighten and facilitate natural drainage, but if the soil 

 be unduly moist the only safe and satisfactory remedy lies in thor- 

 ough underdrainage. This can be accomplished in two ways : Drains 

 may be dug and a stone conduit built to allow the superfluous water 

 to escape, or, what is better, agricultural tile may be laid in the bottom 

 of the trench. If the soil is very stiff and retentive, the tiles should 

 not be laid over 2 1 / or 3 feet deep and about 1 rod apart. If the soil 

 is porous, the drains may be placed farther apart and buried deeper. 

 A double purpose is served by underdraining. The superfluous water 

 which tended to make the land cold, sour, and "late" is removed, thus 

 making the soil warmer and earlier ; and by the admission of air the 

 acidity is slowly overcome. The processes of oxidation and nitrifica- 

 tion are also afforded better conditions for action, and while drainage 

 adds nothing to the soil in the way of plant food, the mechanical 

 operation of removing water and admitting air is quite as marked in 

 its effects as a liberal dressing of manure, for the store of plant food 

 which was withheld from the plant is allowed to become available. 

 There is little wonder in the light of these facts that early agricul- 

 tural writers propounded the axiom, "Tillage is manure." (F. B. 

 154.) 



TOPOGRAPHY. 



A rolling country is very certain to give good water drainage. 

 This is of first importance, for our cultivated fruits, with the exception 

 of the cranberry, are injured by a surplus of water. Such a country 

 also affords more elevations where there is comparative immunity 

 from frosts. For these reasons, good fruit growing sections are gen- 

 erally found where the land is hilly or rolling. But when near large 

 water areas so that there is secured comparative protection from frosts 

 and when sufficiently elevated to secure good drainage, land that is 

 quite flat may sometimes prove good fruit land. 



Fruit Growing as a Business. Success in any business is largely 

 a matter of individual capability, and success in fruit growing like- 

 wise depends much on the capacity of the individual and upon his 

 adaptability. The demand for fruit is increasing. The consumption 

 of fresh fruits is now greater per capita than it was a few years ago. 

 With the introduction of improved methods of storing and shipping, 

 fresh fruit is destined to play a more important part in the diet of 

 every American. Comparatively few years ago fresh fruit was 

 regarded as a luxury, now it is regarded as a necessity, both for nour- 

 ishment and for its hygiene value. (U. S. E. S. B. 178.) 



The successful fruit grower must be well informed respecting the 

 principles that underlie the growing of fruit, that he may be able to 

 solve the many problems that are sure to arise in the course of his 

 experience. It is important that he know not only how to grow fruit, 

 but he must also know how to market it. In other words, he must be a 

 good business man. Some of the most successful fruit growers and 

 horticulturists have been men who were not reared to the work, but 

 have taken it up late in life and have succeeded largely because of 

 their business ability. It is not to be inferred from this that farmers' 

 eons do not make good farmers, but that they often fail to get the 



