CHAPTER XXVIII. 

 FRUIT TREES AND THE SOIL. 



By a. R. Horwood, F.L.S. 



It is an extraordinary thing that, in 

 spite of the available knowledge existing 

 as to the relation of fruit trees to the soil, 

 little or no advantage is taken of the 

 stores of knowledge on this very essential 

 point awaiting the experimenter. At the 

 same time it must be admitted that field 

 practice has to a very large extent fol- 

 lowed intuitively, or as a result of accu- 

 mulated practical experience, the main 

 lines of scientific knowledge in regard to 

 soil and the adaptation of particular fruit- 

 tree types to a particular soil or group 

 of soils. It is satisfactory to know that 

 this is the case, but at the same time, in 

 order to give the fruit-grower seeking in- 

 formation an idea of what to do in making 

 a choice of a farm, what districts to select 

 from, a brief summary may be helpful. 



It is of great advantage to know what 

 class of habitat and soil the wild types of 

 our cultivated fruit trees require. It is 

 only within very recent years that this 

 knowledge has become possible by means 

 of systematic vegetation surveys, which 

 have by no means yet been completed for 

 the whole of the British Isles. Conse- 

 quently a good deal of information on this 

 matter is unpublished, and so unavail- 

 able to everybody — only to the few in- 

 vestigating the question, of which the 

 writer is one. Of the score of cultivated 

 fruit-trees generally grown, half of them 

 or closely allied, wild types are found 

 in the British Isles. 



It is not possible yet to indicate how 

 far the numerous cultivated forms of each 

 species, some noted for fruit, some for 

 early ripening, and other cultural pro- 

 perties, differ amongst each other as 

 regards soil. It is the main species in the 

 general sense that we can alone deal with 

 at present. 



Wild Cherry (Prunus Gerasiis) is found 



naturally on sandy soils in oak birch 

 heath, and in sandy oak woods, as 

 opposed to those of clay and loamy soils. 

 It also grows well on chalk in chalk scrub. 

 The allied Gean (Fruniis Avium), on the 

 contrary, may be found on clay and loam 

 in damp oak woods, as well as in beech 

 woods on chalk, and no finer examples 

 can be seen than those growing on the top 

 of Box Hill, in Surrey, which, though 

 large trees, yield abundant fruit. It also 

 grows on siliceous soils, or close, greasy, 

 sandy or gritty soils, derived from slate 

 rocks in sandy oak woods. 



As a general rule cherries require mixed 

 soils, sandy and gravelly loam. Allied to 

 the cherry is the Wild Sloe, and closely 

 connected with this is the Bullace, both 

 of which are allied to the Plum. The Sloe 

 is found on clays and loams in damp oak 

 woods and on sandy soil as well, also in 

 oak birch heath, and on limestone and 

 chalk. The Bullace grows well on chalk 

 scrub. Generally, clay and marl soils 

 suit the Plum. The so-called Wild Plum 

 to-day is usually the cultivated form run 

 wild. 



The Crab is a frequent tree on clay and 

 loam, in damp oak woods. It also grows 

 on sandy soils in oak birch heath, on the 

 close and sandy or siliceous soils. Crab 

 also grows well on the chalk. The general 

 soil for Apples is a loam or a marl. 



The Wild Strawberry grows on clay and 

 loam, on siliceous soils, limestone, chalk, 

 and marly soils. In a wild state it requires 

 shade. 



All the species of Ribes, Gooseberry, 

 Red and Black Currants, grow on black or 

 amorphous peat, overlaid by silty allu- 

 vium in fen formations. 



The Raspberry grows on sandy soil, in 

 the oak birch heath, and also on lime- 

 stone. Hazel grows on clay and loams in 



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