Planning and Planting the Orchard 37 



Varieties 



The man who must sell his fruit through cooperative 

 associations or commission houses, has learned that he 

 must confine himself to a few recognized commercial 

 varieties, for, to sell to the best advantage, he must have 

 quantity as well as quality. All things considered, the 

 orchard with a few varieties is more easily cared for and 

 the crop more easily handled. The grower who lives near 

 a large city where he can sell his fruit directly to the con- 

 sumer or the marketmen, may adhere to the old type of 

 orchard with a varied assortment of fruits and a succes- 

 sion of varieties; but the grower more distant from his 

 market cannot hope to make a financial success of the 

 ten-acre orchard planted with the idea of furnishing him 

 employment the year around and a continuous picking 

 season. The length of the season, the soil, and the de- 

 mands of the market, all have a part in determining 

 what varieties should be planted, and they will receive 

 further attention in the discussion on varieties (Chapter 

 XV). 



Selection of Trees 



The choice of trees is a matter of primary importance, 

 and it should receive very early consideration in planning 

 an orchard. It is very often true that the man who 

 plants an orchard has only a vague idea of what constitutes 

 a first-class tree, but the man is to be pitied more who 

 knows a good tree, and then plants a second-class one be- 

 cause it is cheaper. Cheap trees are seldom, if ever, a 

 bargain; the grower should insist on having first-class 

 trees and should be willing to pay for them. The question 



