CHAPTER 33 



Principles of Fruit Production, with Special Reference to 

 the Home Plantation 



By M. G. Kains 

 Professor of Horticulture, The Pennsylvania State College 



The establishment of home orchards is as important as ever, especially 

 in sections where fruit is not now grown but is shipped in. With the 

 wealth of information available through government and experiment station 

 publications, no one who owns land suitable for growing general farm crops 

 need hesitate to plant fruit for home needs. Even for the cold sections 

 hardy varieties are available. 



The Main Factors to Consider. — Temperature decides as to the 

 species, and sometimes the variety, that may be grown. That of a region 

 and even of an orchard is determined mainly by latitude, altitude, physical 

 character of the country and distance from large bodies of water. In the 

 spring, lakes and rivers keep the air cool because they are cold. Thus, they 

 hold back bud development and aid the plants in escaping late frosts. In 

 the fall they continue warm and thus lengthen the season. Other sections 

 even nearby, but beyond the reach of breezes from the water, are more 

 likely to be frosted. 



Moisture in the soil may be secured through rainfall or by irrigation. 

 In the East enough rain generally falls to care for the fruit interests, 

 provided proper tillage methods are practiced; in the West, irrigation has 

 largely solved the water supply problem. Of more importance is the rela- 

 tive humidity of the air; for where the air is dry, crop growing is more diffi- 

 cult than where it is fairly moist. In the northern prairie states, where 

 the winter air is both cold and dry, many fruits fail because the air sucks 

 moisture out of twigs and branches while the ground is frozen. In the East, 

 where the cold spells alternate with moist weather, the twigs have a chance 

 to secure moisture either from the soil or from the air. 



Soil. — In general, currants and European pears usually do best on 

 heavy soils; peaches and strawberries on lighter ones. But there are 

 countless successes on soils of other character. Because of this, it is evident 

 that the distinctions drawn between soils adapted to certain varieties are 

 perhaps too fine; and yet there are varietal preferences that should be 

 considered for commercial orchards. For home and local market planta- 

 tion these distinctions are of less importance than for big business orchards. 



Subsoil is of even more importance than surface soil in fruit culture, 

 especially of tree fruits. Many good business orchards are on thin soils 



(429) 



