90 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



ond, the conditions pertaining to the soil 

 (its supply of available plant food, its phys- 

 ical condition, its depth, its drainage fa- 

 cilities and its general adaptability to 

 apple growing). These matters should be 

 considered, also, in respect to the adapta- 

 bility of any particular field to the purpose 

 intended. 



In Connecticut the fruit grower or 

 prospective fruit grower may choose be- 

 tween the improved land that may often 

 be purchased for from $40 to $60 per 

 acre, and the rough unimproved land at 

 from $5 to $40 per acre. The higher priced 

 land is often cheaper in the end, for the 

 work of clearing in most cases is an ex- 

 pensive and uncertain undertaking. The 

 rough "sprout" land that is being used by 

 some of the prominent fruit growers of the 

 state has proved to be not only very dif- 

 ficult to subdue, but very costly to man- 

 age for a number of years. The extra 

 expense in clearing and in subsequent 

 tillage of such land may often greatly 

 exceed the original saving in buying the 

 lower-priced land. Inquiry from those 

 who have had most experience reveals 

 the fact that it is impossible to set any 

 definite figure as to the probable cost of 

 preparing rough land for fruit growing. * 



Subsoil 



The ideal soil for an apple orchard is 

 probably a heavy sandy or gravelly loam 

 with a gravelly subsoil. The character 

 of the subsoil is probably of greater im- 

 portance than the surface soil. A grav- 

 elly subsoil insures better drainage and 

 this is of the first importance, for an 

 apple tree must have air around its roots 

 as well as among its branches. The ap- 

 ple will thrive well on the lighter soils, 

 but such soils require more careful treat- 

 ment to maintain the necessary supply 

 of humus and plant food. Some careful 

 growers prefer a sandy loam for apples, 

 for they believe that it produces fruit of 

 better color. While some soils are more 

 suitable than others, almost any soil, if 

 properly treated, will produce apples suc- 

 cessfully. 



C. D. Jarvis, 

 Storrs, Conn. 



• See Storrs' Bulletin 61. p. 73, 1910. "Cost 

 of Clearing Rough Land." 



Clay Loam 



Three chief factors enter into the se- 

 lection of the site for an orchard: Soil, 

 elevation and exposure. Of these the soil 

 is most important for even though the 

 elevation and exposure be perfect, it the 

 soil is unfavorable, the orchard will be a 

 failure. 



Clay loam soil is best for apple grow- 

 ing. In the past the tendency has been 

 to select rather heavy clay loam or clay 

 soils for apple culture. Less heavy clay 

 loams and even soils tending towards a 

 gravelly nature seem to give better re- 

 sults in Wisconsin. Heavj' clays are 

 much more difiicult to handle, have a tend- 

 ency to carry the wood growth too late 

 into the summer, and do not give as good 

 color to the fruit as do the somewhat 

 lighter soils. Both late growth and low 

 color are objectionable, and for these rea- 

 sons heavy clays should be avoided where 

 more suitable soils are available. It is 

 not to be understood that light or sandy 

 soils are preferred for apple growing. 



Depth and Snbsoil 



The depth of soil best suited for apple 

 culture depends very largely upon the 

 character of the subsoil. With a suitable 

 subsoil very little surface soil is necessary 

 for success. Good results are being ob- 

 tained where there are but two or three 

 feet of surface soil underlaid by a suitable 

 subsoil. 



Limestone Snbsoil 



Pervious limestone subsoil is preferred. 

 This type of subsoil permits the roots to 

 work deeply into it, producing trees with 

 extensive root systems. The limestone 

 also aids in the production of high color 

 which is so essential in a good market 

 fruit. It is at least partially due to this 

 fact that the apples produced in the Door 

 peninsula are so highly colored. A grav- 

 elly subsoil would be second choice in se- 

 lecting an orchard site. Impervious sub- 

 soils are to be avoided, especially it they 

 come close to the surface. Such a sub- 

 soil hinders deep rooting and not infre- 

 quently brings the water table so close to 

 the surface that the root system is con- 

 fined to a shallow layer just under the 

 surface. An orchard planted on such a 



