56 THE AMERICAN APPLE ORCHARD 



Tile drainage of land appropriated to apple trees has 

 been shown to be practicable and altogether advisable 

 in all those soils, of which there are many, which bene- 

 fit by underdrainage for other crops. In fact, in any 

 case of doubt, one would adopt tile drainage for land 

 to be planted to apple trees rather than though the 

 same land were to be given to almost any other crop. 

 This is first because the trees are to occupy the land 

 for a long time, and second because the total invest- 

 ment in an apple orchard (and the total income) are 

 apt to be larger than with most other crops. 



WHen spring planting of the trees has been decided 

 on it is usually best to plow the land the fall before, 

 leaving it as rough and ridgy as is consistent with 

 good plowing. The largest possible mass of soil is, in 

 this way, exposed to the freezing and thawing winter 

 weather. The lumps are broken up by this intermit- 

 tent action of the frost, and the whole upper soil is 

 disintegrated and pulverized. 



In the spring, before planting, the ground may then 

 be reworked, either by plowing again or by going 

 over it with a disk harrow, spading harrow, or some 

 similar implement, depending on the nature and condi- 

 tion of the soil. 



When fall planting is practiced there is somewhat 

 greater difficulty in getting the ground into condition. 

 Perhaps the ideal way is to summer fallow the fields 

 destined to fall planting with fruit trees. In such cases 

 the ground should be subsoiled, or at least very deeply 

 plowed in spring, and the surface cultivation during 

 the summer should be frequent and thorough. Other- 

 wise the soil is apt to dry out and bake. It is highly 

 important, especially in fall planting, that trees should 

 be set in loose, friable, moist earth ; and the soil is put 



