18 BIGGIE ORCHARD BOOK 



DON'TS. 



Don't plan to start an orchard on sod. 



Don't waste money in buying " big " trees. 



Don 'tallow that you know it all : consultwith the other fellow. 



Don't locate an orchard 011 or very near the steep bank of 

 an abrupt, deep ravine. A big gully often acts like a frost trap. 



Don't plan to set large, solid blocks of trees of any one 

 variety. Better alternate several varieties in double rows. 



Don't forget that tree roots are not improved by exposure to 

 wind or sun. Don't let them dry out, unduly, before "heeling 

 in " or planting. Protect a newly-dug tree as you would a baby. 



Don't neglect to plan for the planting of a windbreak on the 

 north and west sides of the orchard, but not too close ; about 

 forty feet distant will do. Scotch pine or Norway spruce makes 

 a good shelter. 



The orchardist who figures the " possible net profit from one 

 tree," and then multiplies that sum by the number of trees in the 

 orchard, is usually storing up disappointment. Orchards, like 

 chickens, seldom hatch out a crop exactly "according to rule." 



Don't figure on "novelties," nor varieties that the market 

 doesn't want ; nor varieties that are already overplanted. Plant 

 few kinds for market, rather than many kinds. Remember that 

 large, uniform lots can be sold to better advantage than an 

 assortment of many varieties. " Carload lots " always command 

 attention. 



Don't forget that the near presence of large bodies of water 

 (preferably to the windward of the orchard), is often an impor- 

 tant factor in the production of tender varieties of fruit. For 

 example : Peaches, etc., are successfully grown on the east bank 

 of I<ake Michigan, and not on the west bank; and, on the east 

 bank, the crop is more sure within three miles of the lake than 

 it is farther inland. 



The age at which different fruit trees begin to bear moderately 

 profitable crops varies greatly according to soil, climate, culture 

 and variety, but perhaps a fair average would be: Apples, in ten 

 or twelve years from setting (Spy, Spitzenburg, Rambo, Seek-no- 

 further, etc., are very slow) ; cherries, five or six years ; oranges 

 and lemons, eight or ten years ; peaches, four or five years ; pears 

 (standard) , ten or twelve years ; pears (dwarf) , four or five years ; 

 plums, five or six years; quinces, five or six years. (Note: On 

 irrigated western lands, apples, etc., often bear paying crops 

 sooner than the above; but the trees are usually shorter lived.) 



