34 



THE POMOLOGIST. 



March 



Orchard Planting. 

 Location, aspect, and soil — Preparation of soil 

 — Drainage — Laying oiti the grounds — Set- 

 ting the trees — Distance, (fc. 

 The season for transplanting is near, and to 

 assist those of limited experience in such work, 

 we propose some plain, practical directions, and 

 in which we must, of necessity, repeat much that 

 we have said before. No doubt many of our read- 

 ers are new settlers in the West, and are seeking 

 just the information we propose to give, and, in 

 fact, there is often need of the repetition of old 

 truths and facts to refresh and stir up the minds 

 of the careless and neglectful — such as need line 

 upon line and precept upon precept. 



In the commencement of an orchard, the loca- 

 tion, aspect and preparation of the ."oil, are mat- 

 ters of primary importance The worst soils Ihe 

 orchardist has to deal with, are those of a level, 

 heavy, wet texture Rolling land and hill-sides, 

 on some accour.ts, are considered the most favor- 

 able sites. They are naturally drained of surface 

 water, and are less frosty than low, level land. 

 Aspect is of minor importance. Some planters 

 prefer a gentle slope to the Southwest; others an 

 opposite airection, Ac. Our preference is a slope 

 or hillside to the Southeast. " Deep valleys, with 

 streams, should be avoided, if possible, as in such 

 places, frosts are apt to prove fatal." But any 

 good land will answer the purpose, whether roll- 

 ing or level, if naturally dry, or undei-drained, so 

 water will not rest long on the surface, or about 

 the roots of the trees. No satisfactory result can 

 be realized where surface water will not readily 

 pass off. The importance of thorough drainage 

 can not be too strenuously urged. It is well 

 known to every observing farmer, that no crop 

 oan be successfully grown on land that is subject 

 to a surplus of surface water, that stands for days 

 fermenting and souring. 

 Preparation of the soil chosen for the orohard is 



contingent upon its condition. But, be that what 

 it may — level, rolling, naturally wet, ©r dry, — it 

 should be thoroughly stirred to the depth of 

 twelve to eighteen inches, and well manured, if 

 deficient in vegetable matter, as is generally the 

 case with hill sides. Such soil needs enriching for 

 fruit trees no less than to produce a first- rate crop 

 of corn. It is folly to suppose that ordinary soil 

 for fruit trees needs no enriching. An Eastern 

 farmer was onco asked why his apples were so 

 much superior to those of the same variety raised 

 by his neighbors "Because," he responded, "I 

 fatten my apples by enriching the soil around the 

 roots of my trees." A liberal application of wood 

 ashes will produce the most beneficial effects upon 

 the growth and health of orchard trees and vines, 

 let the soil be rich or poor. Ashes oan scarcely be 

 used to excess in the orchard ; apply broadcast 

 upon the surface about the tree, as far as the 

 roots extend, and partialy work into the soil. 

 The application of half to a bushel to a tree, for 

 five or six years, extending it annually, so as to 

 cover the roots, will produce astonishing results 

 in growth and fruitfalness. 



Ground, whether level or rolling, with a sub- 

 soil retentive of water, should be stirred as before 

 specified, and then thrown into ridges. Make a 

 land of the space between each of the intended 

 rows, and plow towards each low until broad, per- 



manent ridges are formed, some eighteen inches 

 higher than the dead furrows between the rows, 

 as represented in the accompanying cut. 

 mDOINQ up. 



This arrangement of the surface should be a 

 permanent feature of the orchard for all time. 

 To retain it, after-plowing should be in the same 

 direction of {never across) the ridges and dead 

 furrows — plowing alternately \.o and from. The 

 trees, of course, should be set in straight rows 

 upon the broad ridges, and should also stand in 

 rows across the ridges For convenience in culti- 

 vating, after the preparation here described, the 

 trees should not be less than twenty-five feet apart 

 along the ridges. 



Under-draining and deep tillage, next to mulch- 

 ing, are the best preventives of drouth. Lands 

 deeply drained and deeply pulverized, possess an 

 increased power of absorption — attracting and re- 

 taining an increased amount of moisture, when- 

 ever the atmosphere is in a humid state. " Such 

 lands also sufi'er less, in many seasons, from ex- 

 cessive moisture — for the same qualities which 

 enable them to absorb moisture when there is 

 scarcity, enable them to throw it off when there is 

 a superabundance." 



Under-draining excites early growth and ma- 

 turity of the wood of fruit trees, by the soil being 

 much earlier drained in the spring, and warmed 

 to a degree necessary to stimulate vegetation. — 

 With such vigorous, early growth, the trees har- 

 den up their wood nicely for winter, and are in 

 proper condition. 



As a general rule, but two forms need be studied 

 in laying out an orchard — the Square, made up of 

 four, one standing at each corner ; and the Quin- 

 cunx, or form of five. The latter has the adv-in- 

 tage of distributing the trees more equally over 

 the surface, and thus economizing space, and is 

 more ornamental. 



To lay off the ground in the Square form, draw 

 a straight line for the first row. Then, with a 

 surveyor's chain, or a tape-line, proceed to space 

 it off for the trees, and place a short stake firmly 

 where a tree is to stand. A, a, c, D, E. This work 

 cannot be done accurately with a common line, as 

 it is liable to stretch more or less at each meas- 

 urement. Then at right angles from the first 

 line, measure off and stake a line from each end, 

 E, F, Q, H, and B, p, o, H. 



E F - G H 



E 



.f_ 



E 



P G H 



SQUARE POBM. 



Between the last two stakes in the end rows, 

 measure off and set a line of stakes which will be 

 parallel and opposite to the first row. The inte- 

 rior space of the plat should then be measured 

 off, and stakes set to indicate the exact point 



where each tree is to stand. To have an orohard 

 pleasing to the eye, the trees must be accurately 

 arranged. A single tree out of line makes a de- 

 formity. 



A T.' 



,.--F 



& "•- .. 



QUINCUNX FORM. 



To obtain the Quincunx form, lay off the first 

 row. A, B, c, D, E, as before. Next, hold one end 

 of the line on a, and describe an arc in the direc- 

 tion of F ; then from b to f ; the intersection o' 

 the two arcs will indicate the point f, where the 

 first tree in the second row is to stand. Proceed 

 in the same manner, describing arcs, from B to G^ 

 and from c to G, and until the stakes are all set 

 for the second row. The points for the trees in 

 each additional row will be indicated by the 

 ranges and measurements, as will be readily com- 

 prehended by a glance at the cut. 



The line must be held firm, and the stakes held 

 upright, while the arcs are described Other 

 methods have been given to the public, through 

 the press, but we have found none so simple and 

 so easily executed as our own plan, as here given. 

 If a surveyor's compass is used, the angle B, A, 

 F, and A, B, r, is 60 ° ; and the form is made by 

 laying off a succession of equilateral triangles 

 from the base A, E, and so on, placing the stakes 

 in the points or corners of the triangles. 



If the trees were to be set twenty-five feet 

 apart, the rows A, E, and f, g, would be twenty- 

 one feet and nine inches apart, instead of twenty- 

 five feet, as in the square form. Each tree would 

 occupy five hundred and forty-four feet. In the 

 square form, six hundred and twenty-five feet of 

 surface. Or eighty trees should be plantod to the 

 acre, against sixty-nine to the acre if planted in 

 the square form, and each tree stand just twenty- 

 five feet from each other of its neighbors in both 

 cases. 



When ready to dig the holes, the stakes must 

 be removed. But afterwards they must either be 

 re-set or their exact position indicated by some 

 device, by which to set the trees. It is a good 

 deal of trouble to re-set the stakes, or to sight the 

 rows to get the trees in line. To avoid this use 

 the Tree Planter. 



To make this planter, take a straight-edged 

 board, six to eight feot long, six inches wide, and 



