104 HORTICULTURE, FORESTRY, FLORICULTURE 



Root Galls. Root galls are often exceedingly injurious. Some 

 of them, however, do but little harm. Prevention is better than cure, 

 and it is safest to refuse to receive nursery stock having such blem- 

 ishes. (U. S. E. S. B. 178.) 



IRRIGATION OP ORCHARDS. 



Selection of Lands for Orchards. Care and good judgment 

 should be exercised in the selection of an orchard tract. If it turns 

 put well the profits are high, but if it fails the losses are heavy. It 

 involves the setting aside of good land, the use of irrigation water, 

 and somewhat heavy expenses in purchasing trees, setting them out 

 and caring for them until they begin to Dear. 



Assuming that the climate and soil of the district selected are 

 adapted to the kind of trees to be grown, the next most important 

 things to consider are good drainage and freedom from early and 

 late frosts. Low-lying lands under a new irrigation system should be 

 regarded wifh suspicion, even if the subsoil be quite dry at the time 

 of planting. The results of a few years of heavy and careless irriga- 

 tion on the higher lands adjacent may render the lowlands unfit for 

 orchards. On the other hand, the higher lands are not always well 

 drained naturally. A bank of clay extending across a slope may in- 

 tercept percolating water and raise it near the surface. Favored 

 locations for orchards in the mountain States are often found in the 

 narrow river valleys at the mouths of canyons. The coarse soil of 

 these deltas, the steep slopes, and the daily occurrence of winds 

 which blow first out of the canyons and then back into them, afford 

 excellent conditions for the production of highly flavored fruits at 

 the minimum risk of being injured by frost. 



Proper exposure is another important factor. In the warmer re- 

 gions of the West and Southwest a northern exposure is sometimes 

 best, but as a rule the orchards of the West require warmth and sun- 

 shine, and a southerly exposure is usually most desirable. Natural 

 barriers frequently intercept the sweep of cold, destructive winds, 

 and when these are lacking, wind-breaks may be planted to serve the 

 same purpose. Depressions or sheltered coves should be avoided if 

 the cold air has a tendency to collect in them, a free circulation of 

 air being necessary to drive away frost. The low-lying lands seem 

 to be the most subject to cold, stagnant air. 



While experience has shown that orchard trees of nearly all 

 kinds can be successfully grown on soils that differ widely in their 

 mechanical and chemical composition, it has also shown that certain 

 types of soils are best adapted to particular kinds of trees. Thus the 

 best peach, almond, apricot, and olive orchards of the West are 

 found on the lighter or sandier loams; the best apple, cherry, and 

 pear orchards on heavier loams; while walnut, prune, and orange 

 orchards do best on medium grades of soil. The requirements of all, 

 however, are a deep, rich, and well-drained soil. 



Typical Water Supplies for Orchards. Formerly most western 

 orchards w r ere supplied with water through earthen ditches. Thase 

 leaky, unsightly channels, by reason of their cheapness, would have 

 been quite generally retained had it not been for the increasing value 



