22 ORCHARD LANDS 



may better be held in conti'ol, early annual maturity may be forced, and the 

 color of the fruit is satisfactory. The subsoil should never be so clayey 

 as to prevent ready downward percolation of any excess of free soil water. 

 Annual applications of the mineral fertilizers, such as basic slag and 

 potash, seem desirable on such soils, and a moderate amount of humus 

 should be furnished, but nitrogenous fertilizers should be used sparingly. 

 Fruit of good color is especially desirable with this variety, the color 

 adding materially to the selling price. This has led to its being planted 

 on thin or light, sandy soils in some cases, but on such land the Graven- 

 stein is, on the whole, unsatisfactory. This is a variety for the specialist, 

 and for such it is a very profitable sort when grown near a market — espe- 

 cially if within driving distance. 



" Roxbury Russet Soils. — The Roxbury Russet is now seldom planted, 

 but there are some commercial orchards of it in New England and New 

 York, and many old orchards contain a few trees. The Roxbury Russet 

 is a gross feeder, utilizing to advantage heavier applications of stable 

 manure than almost any other variety. A deep, rich, loamy soil, with the 

 upper subsoil of at least medium porosity, such as a fine, sandy loam or a 

 gravelly, sandy loam, seems to be essential, though a heavier subsoil at a 

 depth of four to six feet is not objectionable. It thrives on a much richer 

 soil than the Baldwin, which does not color well on the best Russet soils. 

 The ' green ' Rhode Island Greening soil, on the other hand, is somewhat 

 too clayey for the Roxbury Russet. Grown on the soil conditions described, 

 the Roxbury tree is prolific, the fruit attains large size and good quality, 

 its keeping characteristics are excellent and it brings a good price, espe- 

 cially for export trade. 



" A study of the cropping systems practised in this country indicates 

 that many of our important crops liave reached their liighest development 

 on certain kinds of soil, and in the light of this experience it seems 

 inevitable to conclude that soils may be selected for different crops in 

 accordance with their relative adaptedness to the growth of such crops. 

 In fact, there is nothing new or startling in this statement. It is simply 

 summing up a long line of experience in the best farm practice of the 

 country. It is only the best farm practice, the most perfect soil adaptation 

 and the most effective soil crop management that can long survive, because 

 no other kinds pay as well. We have been forced by competition to 

 recognize soil adaptedness to different crops. It is a matter of economic 

 efficiency. 



" Attention has been called to the further fact that within the 

 climatic zone favorable to certain varieties of some crops the best results 

 have been obtained on certain definite soil conditions, and this is espe- 

 cially well illustrated by different varieties of apples. Little more than 

 a beginning has been made in this line of work, and it will take time 

 to solve the various problems relating to it, but it is already one of the 

 promising fields for further investigation." 



