12 ORCHARD LANDS 



level lands near by, simply because the water does not have time 

 to soak in. 



Sub-drainage. — Here again it is a question of amount. Is 

 there too little, just enough, or too much? Trees will seldom do 

 well in a wet subsoil. The growth is poor and they are in danger 

 of winter-killing and various other troubles. On the other hand 

 if there is too much sub-drainage* we have an exceptionally dry 

 subsoil and consequently lack of thrift in the trees. And more- 

 over,' the first-grown on such trees is certain to lack in quality. 



C. Atmospheric Drainage. — This, of course, is of importance 

 only in sections subject to frosts, but as most of our best orchard 

 lands are in sections where frosts may occur, it ought to be con- 

 sidered in choosing the orchard site. Frost is one of those inter- 

 mittent troubles which one may escape for years and which then 

 swoop down on the orchard in a night and wipe out the profits of 

 the whole year. It is particularly comforting to know that the 

 orchard is on lands which are not subject to this danger. And 

 of course if one gets a crop when most of the neighbors have 

 lost theirs, the profit is correspondingly greater. It is surprising 

 how little elevation and how little slope are required to prevent 

 frost. The writer has seen an elevation of not over ten feet 

 make a difference of from 75 to 100 per cent in frost injury. 

 The points to be considered are: (1) Is there slope enough. to 

 the field under investigation to carry off the cold air? (2) Does 

 cold air drain down from slopes above to the orchard, i.e., is the 

 orchard at the foot of a long slope ? If it is, then it receives not 

 only its own share of the cold air but a large amount from fields 

 higher up the slope, and frosts are consequently more likely to 

 occur and more serious when they do occur. (3) Is there any 

 obstruction at the bottom of the orchard to hold cold air and bank 

 it up in the orchard? 



D. Aspect or Slope. — Personally the writer believes that 

 this matter of aspect has frequently been over-worked and yet 

 there are circumstances under which it is well worth careful 

 consideration. If a man is an orchardist pure and simple, and 

 wants to set out every available acre, no slope would be dis- 

 carded on account of its direction. On the other hand, if one is a 



