GRAVENSTEIN SOILS 21 



tioned here to show its soil relationship to other varieties. It is so 

 similar in soil adaptation to the ' green ' Rhode Island Greening that a 

 separate description of the soils best for this variety is not given. The 

 Grimes has been so profitable in some districts of western Maryland, 

 Virginia, southeastern Pennsylvania, and Ohio under certain conditions 

 of soil and climate, however, that its desirability for general planting has 

 been widely heralded; and as a result this variety is now being planted 

 in some sections with too little discrimination with reference to both soil 

 and climate. Tlie best general guide is to plant Grimes in the eastern 

 States, where the Rhode Island Greening tends to become a fall apple, 

 The Rhode Island Greening soil located far enough south for that variety 

 to be undesirable for extensive planting is well adapted to, and may well 

 be utilized for the Grimes. It should never be planted on a light or thin 

 soil, neither on a stiff soil. The tree maintains its best growth on a well- 

 drained, jiroductive, moist soil, and under such conditions is a very 

 desirable variety in its region. 



" Rome Beauty Soils. — The Rome Beauty bears the same relation to 

 the Grimes Golden in soil requirements as Baldwin does to the ' green ' 

 Rhode Island Greening in their respective regions. There is, however, 

 something of an overlapping of regions. That is, the Baldwin succeeds 

 further south than the Rhode Island Greening, and the Rome Beauty 

 extends as far north as the Grimes; but this intraregional overlapping 

 of the Rome Beauty and the BaldAvin is largely a matter of dove-tailing, 

 due to variations in elevation. Thus, in southern Pennsylvania, as the 

 Baldwin in its southerly extension seeks higher elevations to offset the 

 climatic change, so does the Rome Beauty in its northern extension seek the 

 same soil at a lower elevation for the same reason. The Baldwin tends to 

 become a fall variety with increasing distance south, and where this 

 tendency is sufficiently pronounced to lessen materially its desirability it 

 may well be replaced by the Rome Beauty, which is adapted to the same 

 kind of soil. The Rome Beauty is grown with fairly good success in the 

 lower Hudson Valley and at low elevations in Western New York, but 

 there is some question whether it will become a leading commercial sort 

 in either region. 



" Gravenstein Soils. — The Gravenstein has given growers much 

 trouble, but its general excellence, the high price the fruit brings, and the 

 strong demand for it in some markets make it a tempting sort to plant. Its 

 susceptibility to winter injury, however, is often a serious matter. There is 

 good evidence to show that the Gravenstein should not be forced in growth, 

 at least until it is fifteen years old or older. On rich, moist gi-ound or with 

 heavy fertilization with nitrogenous manures, its growth is rarely matured 

 early enough in the season to avoid more or less winter injury. It con- 

 tinues to grow until freezing weather, and thus is very susceptible to 

 injury. On a medium soil, neither too rich nor too moist, its growth 



