Soils fch 'an* Orchard -^ , -; j - 15 



CHAPTER I 



The Orchard 



One of the first questions that confronts a person who 

 is starting an orchard is the problem of where to put it. 

 It is true that fruit trees will grow and thrive under a 

 variety of conditions, but there is always one which is best. 

 This condition is based on such factors as the soil, site, lo- 

 cation, kind of fruit that is to be grown and markets that 

 are to be supplied. 



Soils for an Orchard 



Apple trees will grow on a great variety of soils, but 

 they do best on well drained, deep, rich clays and loams. 

 The early summer apples do well on light sandy soils, 

 because they ripen their fruit before the dry weather of 

 summer reduces the amount of available soil moisture. 

 Late maturing varieties can be made to ripen their fruit a 

 little earlier by planting on warm soils, such as the lighter 

 clays. Late apples do best on heavy soils, as such are 

 usually more retentive of moisture. Excessively rich soils, 

 such as some of the muck lands of the Northern and East- 

 ern states, will produce very rank-growing trees, but they 

 will not be very good fruit producers, as the energy of 

 the trees is spent in producing wood. On such soils there 

 is the added danger of the wood growth being so soft at 

 the time winter comes that the branches will be severely 

 frozen back. 



Orchard soils should be rich, however, as it takes a 

 great amount of soil fertility to supply the necessary ele- 

 ments to build up the wood in the tree, and this must 



