60 The Principles of Fruit-growing. 



The aspect. The aspect or exposure of a fruit 

 plantation is determined by the direction and extent 

 of the slope of the land. The exposure exerts 

 great influence upon the temperature of the soil and 

 upon the force of the winds, and it therefore be- 

 comes an emphatic problem in the location of a 

 fruit plantation, especially when the tender and early- 

 blooming fruits are under consideration. There is 

 the greatest diversity of opinion respecting the 

 proper exposure for fruits, some growers contending 

 that the northward slope is always the best, and 

 others preferring a southward exposure. The truth 

 is that no one exposure is best in all cases. Much 

 depends upon the location and the particular en- 

 vironment of the plantation, and upon the kind of 

 fruit which it is proposed to grow. The subject 

 may be elucidated by discussing it under three 

 generalizations : 



1. In locations adjoining bodies of water, the 

 best slope is towards the water. The very reason 

 for the location of fruit farms in such places is 

 that the ameliorating effects of the water may be 

 secured, and these effects are most marked when 

 the fruit land slopes directly towards the river or 

 the lake. In all these cases, therefore, the par- 

 ticular direction of the slope in respect to the 

 points of the compass is of a very secondary im- 

 portance. There is often great choice between the 

 two sides of a river or small lake, particularly 

 when the slopes are sharp and high. That side 

 which faces away from strong prevailing winds is 



