12 THE AMERICAN APPLE ORCHARD 



any difficulty with them, provided they are intelli- 

 gently handled. The particular species which should 

 be chosen cannot be pointed out. If spruce thrives 

 best in the soil and locality under consideration, then 

 spruce should be planted. In some neighborhoods 

 arbor vitse is easy to establish and is very satisfactory. 

 In other places the white pine is generally regarded as 

 one of the best trees for protective timber belts. 



Deciduous trees, besides being easier to establish, 

 are usually more rapid growers during their early 

 years. It is easier to form a dense belt of them in a 

 short time. They are more likely to thin out below, 

 thus avoiding the objection of obstructing atmospheric 

 drainage. In case a very thick and altogether effective 

 windbreak is desired, alternate rows of evergreens and 

 broad-leaved species would best answer the require- 

 ments. 



In some orchards it is possible to arrange the fruit 

 trees in such a way that they will furnish more or less 

 protection for each other. It is customary in some 

 localities to plant the trees closer together east and 

 west than they are north and south. They soon form 

 thick rows sometimes almost hedgerows of trees 

 running crosswise of the course of the principal 

 winds. Sometimes tall growing and sturdy varieties 

 like Spy and Ben Davis are planted on the outside of 

 the orchard next to the wind. The fruit of Spy trees 

 very seldom blows off. The same is true in a less ex- 

 tent of Ben Davis. Such varieties may be used, there- 

 fore, as windbreaks for the rest of the orchard. 



In young orchards temporary protection may some- 

 times be secured at picking time by planting between 

 the rows with tall-growing varieties of dent corn. 

 The corn will reach such a height before picking time 



