FACTORS IN FRUIT GROWING SECTIONS. 15 



equal in value tlie loess loams. In parts of Florida the coral 

 rock and the old shells in the sand help to make good fruit soil. 



Heavy clay loam may be better adapted to agriculture than 

 to fruit raising, but if such soil is thoroughly underdrained and 

 given a proper rotation of cover crops, manure and general cul- 

 tivation, it will often be found adapted to a goodly number of 

 fruits and especially to applt;s, pears, currants, gooseberries and 

 the sweet cherries. Such a soil requires a very careful manage- 

 ment in order to get the best results from it. 



Sandy loam underlaid with a good, open clay subsoil is 

 almost ideal for any of the small fruits and grapes. It is the 

 easiest kind of soil to handle and can be cultivated shortly after 

 a rain without becoming lumpy or sticking to the tools, and it 

 easily forms a dust blanket. Implements scour in it very read- 

 ily, which is no small convenience. Altogether, it is the most 

 pleasant kind of soil to cultivate and well adapted to a long list 

 of fruit plants. 



Sandy soil dries out so quickly that crops on it suffer from 

 drought. This is especially true where the soil particles are 

 coarse. It gives quick returns from manure applied to it but 

 does not hold soluble manures. In general it is not adapted to 

 any of the fruit crops unless it can be irrigated, or is located 

 where the water table is within the reach of the roots. Under 

 such conditions this soil may, with proper management, give 

 good results with strawberries, blackcap raspberries, plums, 

 sour cherries and peaches, and with many of the subtropical 

 fruits. 



Mucky soil is not well adapted to fruits of any kind but some 

 kinds of strawberries and blackberries will occasionally yield 

 enormously on such land where it is well drained. When muck 

 is applied to sandy or clay land, it is often beneficial. 



Flat, black prairie soil is seldom sufficiently adapted to any 

 kind of fruit to become the foundation of an important fruit 

 industry, although many kinds of fruits may do well enough on it 

 to make them desirable for planting in the home garden. 



Clay soil, underlaid with gravel at a depth of from two to 

 four feet, may be used for sour cherries, peaches and plums, 

 but crops on it are liable to suffer from dought and such lands 



