26 The Fruit-Growers Guide-Book 



to wait until spring to do the planting. The soil will then 

 be in the best condition and the planting can proceed rap- 

 idly. 



Preparing Irrigated Land for Planting 



Most orchards in irrigated sections are planted in raw 

 land, and when well and carefully done it is satisfactory, 

 but when done by inexperienced and uninformed persons 

 it does, not always result in a good orchard. Raw irri- 

 gated lands should be cultivated for at least one season 

 with either grain or alfalfa, and are materially improved 

 if a green manure crop is turned under the fall before 

 planting. 



The land should be plowed thoroughly and deeply all 

 over and not just down the tree rows. Fruit trees are 

 shallow rooted at best in the majority of irrigated soils 

 because of the dry and hard subsoil, and unless the soil is 

 loosened up deep and the subsoil well soaked with water, 

 the trees will not root as deeply as could be desired. 



Lands which settle after being put under irrigation 

 should be thoroughly watered and settled before planting, 

 and all irrigated lands should be perfectly leveled before 

 the orchard is planted. This will materially assist in lay- 

 ing out and planting the trees, and do away with releveling 

 after the trees are planted. It is always best to plow the 

 land in the fall and allow the soil to lay rough all winter. 

 It will be loose and friable in the spring and be much 

 more easily worked than if not fall plowed. Fall plowing 

 has the additional advantage of enabling the soil to take 

 up more of the winter precipitation, and hence it will water 

 more easily when irrigation is attempted. It is often very 

 difficult to get the water over spring plowed land the first 

 time it is irrigated. 



Laying Out the Orchard 



The plan for laying out the orchard can be arranged 

 in any manner that suits the convenience of the planter, 

 although there are two systems that are in common use, 



