CHAPTER X 

 PREPARATION FOR ORCHARD PLANTING 



The two essentials in preparing land for trees or vines are deep 

 and thorough cultivation, and provision for drainage, unless the 

 situation is naturally well drained. Drainage will be considered in 

 connection with irrigation in another chapter. In this place, how- 

 ever, by way of emphasis, it may be remarked that high land is 

 not necessarily well drained, although the general feature of the 

 surface may be an incline, nor is low land necessarily wet, although 

 the surface may be apparently level. For horticultural purposes 

 the drainage of the land must be considered on the hillside as well 

 as in the valley, for reasons which will be more fully set forth in 

 the chapter on drainage. 



The preparation of land for fruit planting should begin with 

 grading. In irrigated orchards this is essential for the equal distri- 

 bution of water. Even where irrigation is not anticipated, it is of 

 decided advantage to smooth down hummocks and fill sags which 

 are likely to collect water in the rainy season. As has been shown 

 in Chapter III, this can be done on most California soils without 

 danger of uncovering a sterile subsoil. Some intimation of the 

 method of grading is given at the close of Chapter VII. In prep- 

 aration for the irrigated orchard, and irrigation is now widely 

 employed even in regions where formerly rainfall was the sole reli- 

 ance, it is important that accurate grading should be done and the 

 use of, the surveyor's level and grade stakes will be found very 

 desirable. All moving of soil should precede the general plowing. 



For the planting of orchard or vineyard the land must be put in 

 as good tilth as possible, and extra expenditure to secure this will 

 be amply repaid in the after-growth of the trees and vines. If prac- 

 ticable, it will be all the better to have the process of preparation 

 begin a year before the trees or vines are to be set. This is true 

 either with newly-cleared land, as has been described, or with old 

 grain or pasture land which is to be used, leaving the surface rough 

 during the winter, facilitates the access of air to the lower layers 

 of the soil, and in a certain sense may be said to sweeten and enliven 

 it. Following in the furrow with a sub-soil plow is very desirable, 

 either at the first plowing or later. Such treatment of old grain 

 land breaks up the old hard-pan,* which has probably been formed 



* In this connection the term means "plow-sole." Treatment of true hard- 

 pan will be described in the next chapter. 



95 



