36 Fruit-growing in Arid Regions 



tiously. The men who are making the most money in 

 our best fruit regions are those handling ten- and twenty- 

 acre orchards. 



The chapter on "Location, Exposure, Soils, and Wind- 

 breaks " has been introduced not alone with the idea of 

 helping the fruit-grower to choose orchard localities, but 

 to provide help in solving the problem as to what kind of 

 fruit to grow. The chapter has suggested that certain 

 types of soil are best adapted to growing particular kinds of 

 fruit, and it has mentioned sites and locations suitable 

 for growing fruits that frequently suffer from untimely 

 frosts. 



In a way, the size of the orchard will determine what 

 shall be planted. It is easier to handle at least to har- 

 vest and market ten acres of peaches and ten acres 

 of apples than to harvest and market twenty acres of 

 peaches; and, as far as it is practicable, the orchard should 

 be planned with the idea of handling the maximum amount 

 of fruit with the minimum force of help. Unless the 

 locality seldom suffers from late frosts, the fruit-grower 

 cannot afford to plant peaches alone; and where the 

 peach crop is uncertain, there is surely more money in 

 growing apples and pears. 



What fruit one shall grow is often determined by the 

 distance from a shipping point. Peaches cannot be hauled 

 by wagon over any great distance, and this one factor 

 may make an apple-growing district of a natural peach 

 region. The questions of help and transportation must 

 also be considered, for these are more serious problems 

 in peach-growing than in apple-growing; peaches must 

 be handled promptly, and delay generally means loss. 



