46 FRUIT-GROWING 



less of weather conditions and predictions to 

 the contrary. As they are for the most part 

 planted among Yellow Transparent trees that 

 were spaced too far apart in the beginning, I 

 suspect that our plums will remain with us for 

 a number of years before their root space is 

 needed by the apples. 



For the last six or eight years, however, we 

 have used nothing but apples for fillers in ap- 

 ple orchards. The results have been so encour- 

 aging that I do not believe we would ever be 

 induced to use anything else as a regular prac- 

 tice. To begin with, the use of apple trees sim- 

 plifies the care of the trees, it allows uniform 

 practice in regard to spraying, cultivating and 

 pruning. One trip across the orchard does the 

 job when all the trees in the row are of the 

 same sort. When they are of mixed classes 

 the spraying is complicated, the pruning varies 

 from tree to tree and the cultivation is with 

 difficulty adjusted to suit both sorts. 



Most of our permanent varieties are of the 

 large sorts, consisting chiefly of Delicious, 

 Stayman and Winesap. These are planted on 

 the "square" system at a distance of forty feet. 

 These permanent trees occupy the four corners 

 of the square. Midway between each of these 

 trees, on the lines forming the sides of the 

 square, are planted filler trees. In the exact 

 center of the square is planted a tree which we 



