APPLES 



87 



Fig. 2. Trees Like Tliis With a Constricted 

 Trunls, Were I'rohably Top-gralted Atjout 

 1850. Conn. Sta. 



at the time of this visit there was not a 

 fruit tree living which was there at the 

 earlier date. Some attribute this to a 

 cold freeze that occurred in 1890, some to 

 lack of rain. The fact remains, however, 

 that the orchards that were planted where 

 there was sufficient seepage from the hill- 

 sides and sufficient depth of soil, are still 

 living and the trees are in a healthy con- 

 dition. 



On account of the importance of this 

 subject the opinions of many observers 

 are given, covering the conditions of vari- 

 ous localities. 



Granville Lowther 



Soils for Apples 



Apples will grow on a great variety of 

 soils, but most kinds do best on deep, 

 rich clays or loams. Soils very rich in 

 nitrogen should be avoided as they will 

 produce too much wood growth at the 

 expense of fruit. Very few soils are too 

 rich for apples, however. Many farmers 

 plant their fruit trees on the poorest and 

 roughest pieces of land on the farm, be- 

 cause such soil will not produce any other 



crop profitably. If the trees do not pro- 

 duce good fruit in a few years, without any 

 attention, the orchard is abandoned and 

 the farmer says fruit growing is a fail- 

 ure. Does he expect this of other crops 

 and has he a right to expect it of apples? 

 Give apple trees the care and attention 

 that other crops get and they will re- 

 spond by producing profitable crops of 

 fruit. It is a mistake to expect trees to 

 grow well on poor soil, for food is just as 

 essential to tree growth as to the growth 

 of cotton or corn. It requires a large 

 quantity of food to produce a crop of trees 

 and even a greater quantity to produce 

 the fruit. 



H. G. Thompson, 

 Agricultural College. Miss. 



SOIL ADAPTATIONS TO TAErETIES 

 OF APPLES 



It is believed that different varieties 

 have adaptations to different soils, which 

 adaptations, if known, would guide the 

 orchardist in the selection of a site for 

 an orchard, or the selection of varieties 

 suited to any particular soil, which he 

 may possess. 



* H. J. Wilder has treated this subject 

 extensively, and a summary of his con- 

 clusions is given. 



Baldwin Soils 



If soils are thought of as grading from 

 heavy to light, corresponding to the range 

 from clay to sand, then soils grading from 

 medium to semi-light fulfil best the re- 

 quirements of the Baldwin. The ideal 

 is to be sought in a fine sandy loam, or 

 light mellow loam, underlaid by plastic 

 light clay loam or heavy silt loam. The 

 surface soil should be of a dark brown 

 color, due to the presence of decaying or- 

 ganic matter. There is much of this soil 

 in the Appalachian region, which from 

 Canada to Southern Pennsylvania is 

 adapted to the growing of Baldwins. 



Rhode Island Greenine: Soils 



For the Rhode Island Greening, a sur- 

 face soil of heavj- silty loam or light silty 

 clay loam, underlaid by silty clay loam, 

 excels. Such a soil will retain sufficient 



* H. J. Wilder. Pennsylvania State College, 

 1911 Report. 



