STARTING AN ORCHARD : PLANNING 1 7 



self-sterility is the inability of the pollen of a variety 

 to fertilize the pistils of that variety. An indication of 

 self-sterility is the continued dropping of young fruit 

 from isolated trees or solid blocks of one variety; 

 also, fruit from a self-sterile tree is apt to be imper- 

 fectly formed. Self-sterility is not a constant character 

 with any variety. Poorly-nourished trees are more likely 

 to be sterile with their own pollen than well-fed trees 

 are. The loss of fruit from self-sterility may be pre- 

 vented by planting other varieties 

 among the self -sterile trees, or 

 by grafting other varieties into 

 occasional trees. For names of 

 varieties which are often self- 

 sterile, consult each special fruit 

 chapter in this book. 



Getting the ground ready for the tree-setting is 

 another important part of ' 4 starting an orchard. ' ' If 

 possible, plow it in the fall. At least, it should be 

 plowed previous to planting. Harrow it until the 

 field is fine and level. 



If the ground was in sod last year, better grow pota- 

 toes and subdue the grass previous to setting trees. 

 Preliminary fertilizing may or may not be necessary 

 or desirable. If the land is fairly fertile, I should pre- 

 fer, ordinarily, to apply manure or fertilizer after the 

 trees are planted, rather than before 'tis more econom- 

 ical. (See Chapter VI for further fertilizing facts. ) 



It is a good idea to make a plan of the orchard, drawn 

 to scale, and mark thereon just where each tree is to go. 

 This is a great help when figuring out how many trees 

 to buy, or when setting the trees, or in after years when 

 somebody asks : ' ' What's the name of this tree ? ' ' 



