ORCHARD SOILS 671 



There Is some reason to believe that the importance of these variety 

 preferences is often overemphasized. For instance to assert that the 

 Yellow Newtown (Albemarle Pippin) apple will do well only on the so- 

 called "pippin" soils of Virginia and North Carolina is to misstate the 

 facts, except perhaps for the soils of those particular states. The variety 

 does equally well on quite different soils in the Hudson River, Hood 

 River and Rogue River valleys and in New South Wales, though on these 

 other soils it may develop a slightly different but in no way inferior, 

 shape, color or flavor. Some of the variation in the chemical composition 

 of fruits is without doubt due to diversities in soil and in some parts of 

 the world these differences are regarded as of considerable importance 

 in the production of grapes for wine; however, much of the variation in 

 composition is due to other factors of environment, such as temperature, 

 sunlight and humidity. Their influence must be subtracted before it 

 can be said that the difference in the quality of fruit from two different 

 sections, or even orchards, is due to soil variation. Nevertheless, the 

 ways in which soil influences the development of individual varieties may 

 well be studied, for often the information gained can be of much use in 

 actual fruit production. For instance, if a piece of land that is to be 

 planted to apple trees includes some light and some heavy soil and two 

 varieties, one a red and the other a yellow apple, are to be set, it will 

 generally be wise to plant the red variety on the lighter soil and the 

 yellow variety on the heavier, so far as possible. Though soil probably 

 exerts very little, if any, direct influence on pigment production 

 in the fruit, the type of vegetative growth obtained on the lighter soil 

 is likely to permit and encourage higher coloration of the fruit than that 

 obtained on the finer textured land. 



It is easier to modify through treatment the chemical condition of the 

 soil than its physical condition and obviouslj^, it is generally easier to 

 modify surface soil than subsoil. The subsoil must be taken largely as 

 it is found. Consequently in selecting a piece of land for fruit growing 

 the subsoil should be given specially careful consideration, particularly 

 as regards its physical condition. Both physical and chemical condition 

 of the surface soil may be modified materially, but to effect any consider- 

 able change, particularly in physical character, is expensive. The grower 

 should never forget that the business must yield a fair return on the 

 investment. 



Summary. — In general fruit crops demand the same qualities in a 

 soil as cereal or forage plants. On account of their growing habits, 

 however, depth of soil, character of subsoil and general physical condition 

 are of relatively greater importance to the former. Different fruit crops 

 show varying adaptation to soils of quite dissimilar textures. Practically 

 all, however, are alike in requiring considerable depth, thorough aeration 

 and freedom from hardpan, plowsole or other impervious strata. It is 



