-3- 

 SHALL m PLAMT ORCHARDS ON THE CONTOUR 



Contour plantin^^ is almost a necessity for the average cultivated New England 

 orchard. 1/Ve have all seen v;hat has happened to the soil of many a peach orchard 

 where no special precaution against erosion was taken. It has happened in apple 

 orchards, too, and one writer recently referred to the apple grov/er as the "most 

 myopic of all in this matter of soil conservation", 



nevertheless, we must admit that it is not imperative that orchards in complete 

 sod be planted on the contour. For sod orchards on slight slopes, there is no 

 advantage from contour planting, but there is benefit if the orchard is cultivated 

 as a whole or in strips. Cultivation is sometimes practiced in young apple orchards 

 and omitted as the trees approach maturity. There is no question about the 

 advantage of contour planting v/here soil erosion is a problem* 



Many New England orchards are on slopes of 10 to 15^i, I have seen them on 

 slopes above 20^o, There are good reasons v;hy some of the best orchard sites are on 

 sloping land. It happens that some of the best apple soils of this section have 

 a characteristically sloping topography, and furthermore such topography promotes 

 good soil and water drainage. On slopes above lO'/^, it is both difficult and 

 expensive to operate tractor-dravm equipment, and above 20^ such operation is almost 

 prohibitive. Engineers tell us that contour farming saves from 10 to 12/'o in time 

 and 9 to lO^b in fuel and oil over up-and-dOT/Ti-hill operations > and there is less 

 wear and tear of equipment, to say nothing of being easier on the operator. On the 

 lesser slopes, contour planting may mean the sacrifice of one degree of freedom of 

 movement of equipment through the orchard, but on the steeper slopes the direction 

 of movement is pretty well determined by nature, I have seen orchards on such 

 steep slopes that it was impracticable to move equipment up and down the slopes and 

 where movement v/as as near on the contour as the lajTOut of the orchard would permit. 

 It might better have been laid out on the contour in the first place; it cannot be 

 done afterward. 



Contour planting should be considered only as a means to an end. It is not 

 itself a method of erosion control, but it gives a basic framework on which conser- 

 vation practices such as terracing, ridging, simple contour cultivation and strip 

 cultivation may be planned and carried out. 



Then there is the question of road location. Nearly every orchardist knov;s 

 the problem of road erosion on sloping land. Sometimes it becomes so serious that 

 it is necessary to relocate the roads. Considerable thought should be given to 

 lanning orchard roads so as to reduce erosion of them to a minimum. So far as 

 possible, they should be on the contour. This usually means longer roads, but the 

 "longest way around is sometimes the shortest v;ay through". 



Space does not permit our going further into the pros and cons of contour 

 planting of orchards, nor of giving details of methods^ Orchardists desiring 

 more on the subject, particularly those v;ho are contemplating planting an orchard, 

 might viell consult txvo good publications in this field, namely; "Soil Management 

 Practices in the Orchard", ^Michigan Experiment Station Circular Bulletin 199; and 

 "Conserving Soil and Moisture in Orchards smd Vineyards", Farmers' Bulletin 1970, 



Technicians of the Soil Conservation Service will give technical assistance 

 to orchardists interested in developing conservation plans for orchards. Applica- 

 tions for assistance should be made to the board of supervisors of the soil 

 conservation district in v.'hich you live. For further information as to procedure 

 consult your county agricultural agent, 



A. B, Beaumont 



State Soil Conservationist 



