APPLES 



2G5 



"When the kiiuls of trees to be used as 

 fillers are carefully selected and then re- 

 moved at the right time they can be made 

 profitable. Peaches can sometimes be 

 used as fillers in an apple orchard, if the 

 soil and climate are suitable. Pears are 

 not advisable as fillers, especially in an 

 apple orchard, on account of their sus- 

 ceptibility to fire blight, which can be 

 communicated to the apple trees. Quick 

 maturing varieties of apples make the 

 best fillers in an apple orchard, and es- 

 pecially so if the fillers have an upright 

 habit, such as Missouri Pippin, Wag- 

 ener, or Rome Beauty. Such kinds can 

 be handled to advantage in an orchard 

 laid out on the rectangular plan, with 

 the filler in the center of the square. 

 This will double the number of trees per 

 acre, and give each tree the maximum 

 of room. It is not so easy to plant 

 fillers to advantage when the orchard is 

 laid out on the hexagonal plan without 

 crowding the trees. 



"A common and satisfactory method 

 of arranging fillers is to set the perma- 

 nent apple trees 30 feet apart, with a 

 filler midway between the trees in one 

 direction only. This will put the trees 

 15x30 feet apart. 



"■^Tiile good returns can be made from 

 the fillers in an orchard, it is safe to say 

 that practically as good returns can be 

 made by using crops of other kinds. In 

 small orchards some of the small fruits, 

 such as strawberries, blackberries or cur- 

 rants, are good money makers. In large 

 orchards, it is better to grow some kind 

 of cover crop and work toward building 

 up a large framework and strong trees 

 that will be heavy bearers when they 

 come into fruiting, rather than to try 

 to get an extra amount of fruit from the 

 temporary trees. 



"One of the great dangers of inter- 

 mixed planting is that nine persons out 

 of ten will not take the fillers out when 

 they ought to. There is danger in it 

 to the whole enterprise and the system 

 should be recommended very guardedly, 

 if at all. Peaches should not be planted 

 among apples as a rule. It is better to 

 stick to one kind of fruit." 



Double rianting for Middle States 



The plan of double planting the orchard 

 is sometimes followed. The fundamental 

 idea of this scheme is to plant temporary 

 trees between the permanent ones with 

 the idea of removing them when they be- 

 gin to crowd. By this double cropping 

 early returns may be secured. The peach, 

 for example, begins to bear in about three 

 years, while the apple requires from five 

 to eight years where the method of dou- 

 ble planting is followed, it is probably 

 best to adhere to the same class of crops. 

 In the apple orchards, for example, use 

 some early bearing variety such as the 

 Wealthy or Missouri Pippin as the filler. 

 The plan of using mixed crops has a dis- 

 advantage in that different fruits require 

 different cultural treatment. The peach 

 leaf, for example, is tender and Injured 

 by the spray of the standard strength for 

 the apple. The same thing is true of the 

 Japanese plums. 



The most serious objection to double 

 planting is the fact that the temporary 

 trees are usually permitted to stand too 

 long and the permanent planting seriously 

 injured. Before the outer branches be- 

 gin to touch, the filler trees should be 

 promptly removed. Otherwise the trees 

 enter into competition with each other 

 and are compelled to battle for their ex- 

 istence. The longer they are allowed to 

 stand after reaching this condition the 

 more intense the struggle becomes. It is 

 rare indeed that the grower has the cour- 

 age to cut out these temporary trees. He 

 remembers how they bore last year, and 

 is thus induced to withhold the axe an- 

 other year. In the majority of instances 

 it is better to grow small fruits as a filler 

 crop, or some annual such as corn or po- 

 tatoes. These also have the advantage 

 of requiring clean cultivation. 



A. T. Erwin and G. R. Bliss, 



Ames. Iowa. 



Safe Bale for Fillers 



Peach, and other vigorous growing 

 trees, are unsuited to be used as fillers 

 in an apple orchard, unless confined to 

 the centers of the square. They ought 

 never to be planted in the rows with the 

 apple trees. The only safe rule in the 



