Hexagonal or Quincunx Planting. 265 



reference to any other trees in any other part. 

 The writer has planted about 150 acres of apple 

 and 100 acres of peach orchard on this plan, and 

 has furnished many parties brief descriptions of same 

 for planting ; has planted rows 30 to 40 rods long 

 of nice trees, so straight in line that a stake two 

 inches in diameter set up in the row would hide 

 every tree from view, looking from the end thereof." 

 Orchard plans. Van Deman* writes fully upon 

 the methods of constructing a plan of an orchard, 

 as follows : 



" The hexagonal, Van Deman plan. The plan that will best 

 (cononiize space is what is known as the ' hexagonal ' plan. It 

 is a system of equilateral triangles, and is sometimes called the 

 ' triangular ' system. It puts all adjacent trees equally distant 

 from each other. This is the plan I have followed in all my 

 own plantings, and now think it the best I have ever seen. I 

 have practiced upon the additional idea of planting temporary 

 trees alternately with permanent ones, and leaving 'alleys be- 

 tween every fifth and sixth row, which I have never seen in any 

 other orchards of the hexagonal style ; therefore, I have called 

 this part of it the ' Van Deman ' plan. In the lower part of 

 Fig. 33 it may be seen. By this plan there may be planted 

 156 trees per acre one rod apart, with every sixth row left out 

 for an alley, which gives easy access to wagons for gathering 

 fruit, and for any other necessity. The permanent trees are 

 marked by the letter P throughout this and all the other plans. 

 These trees are two rods, or 33 feet, apart, which, for apple trees 

 in most climates and soils, is sufficient. In Michigan, Pennsyl- 

 vania, New York and some other localities where apple trees 



*H. E. Van Deman, "Plans for Orchard Planting," Rural New-Yorker. 

 March and 13, 1897. Revised for this occasion by Mr. Van Deman. 



For tables giving the number of plants to the acre, see " The Horticultur- 

 ists' Rule-Book," 4th ed., pp. 115-119. 



