APPLES 



101 



they will often be seen to lift their green- 

 clad sides out of the blighting frost-laden 

 atmosphere of the surrounding valley. 

 Air drainage is just as natural as water 

 drainage, and for orchard locations is just 

 as important a consideration. 



The frostiest locations, and those there- 

 fore to be most avoided are valleys shut 

 in on all sides. To the uninitiated these 

 places would appear to be most admirably 

 protected, but they are veritable frost 

 pockets. On cold nights they receive the 

 cold air from higher regions, and frosts 

 and freezes in them are inevitable. 



Once while traveling in the Rocky 

 mountains I saw one of these small val- 

 leys shut in by hills, in which all the veg- 

 etation was nipped by frost. The sur- 

 rounding hills on one side were somewhat 

 lower than on the other sides. When the 

 valley became full of cold air it flowed 

 over the lowest side, just as water would 

 have done. All around on the other sides 

 of the valley the high frost mark could 

 be seen, and it formed a line on a level 

 with the top of the lowest hill where the 

 frosty air had flowed over. Above this 

 line the tenderest vegetation showed not 

 the slightest injury. A valley with a 

 large outlet will usually be reasonably 

 safe from frost. The land about rivers 

 which have a considerable fall will be 

 drained of water and also of cold air. 

 Lands contiguous to such streams can 

 be counted on as being reasonably safe 

 from frost. Experience with frost shows 

 that mountain regions are much safer for 

 fruit growing than the lands below them. 

 A carefully planned and conducted experi- 

 ment which I made two years ago in a 

 hillside peach orchard confirms the results 

 of general experience on this point. This 

 orchard was carefully surveyed with a 

 leveling instrument and the ground map- 

 ped out in contours. Contour lines con- 

 nected all the trees at the same elevation. 

 There was two feet difference in elevation 

 between each two contour lines. Self- 

 registering thermometers were placed on 

 each contour line and readings were made 

 on them three times a day throughout 

 the entire winter and spring. The lower 

 contour lines almost invariably registered 

 lower temperatures than the higher ones. 



There was usually from one-half to one 

 degree of difference between each line 

 and the one above it. Instruments placed 

 along one contour line, thus all being 

 at the same elevation, showed practically 

 no difference in temperature. During the 

 winter zero temperatures were recorded in 

 this orchard. At pruning time in the 

 spring it was found that the wood of 

 the trees on the lowest contour had been 

 badly frozen and was "black-hearted." 

 The effect of the "black-hearting" lessen- 

 ed with higher contours, and on the high- 

 est one not a single affected tree could be 

 found. The only fruit produced in the 

 orchard was on the two highest contours. 

 Higher land above this, which was not 

 planted to orchard, would undoubtedly 

 have been a safer location for peaches. 

 The same season an estimate was made 

 on the effect of winter freezing of peach 

 buds on trees grown on comparatively 

 level land. A measuring pole was placed 

 in the trees and by means of a step- 

 ladder the buds were examined and 

 counted at different heights from the 

 ground. An examination of 1,300 buds gave 

 the following percentage of buds killed 

 by frost: 



Two feet from the ground 50% 



Four feet from the ground 30% 



Eight feet from the ground 16% 



These are only a few of hundreds of 

 such examples that could be given to show 

 the advantages of elevated locations for 

 fruit growing. 



W. N. HUTT, 



Raleigh. N. C. 



Elevation and Exposure 



The best site for an orchard is one 

 that is somewhat elevated above adjoin- 

 ing lands. Such a site not only gives bet- 

 ter soil drainage, but what is more im- 

 portant, better air drainage. It is well 

 known that the colder air being heavier 

 settles to the lower levels. A difference 

 of several degrees due to this fact is 

 often observed in different sections of an 

 orchard. This is, therefore, an important 

 consideration in sections where hard win- 

 ter freezes and late spring frosts are 

 common. Moreover, on account of the 

 clearer atmosphere and the relatively 



