48 Fruit-growing in Arid Regions 



It is a fact that some varieties are poor pollen producers, 

 and, while we have not seen a case in which lack of proper 

 pollination could be proved to be responsible for a poor 

 set of fruit, we are inclined to favor the interplanting of 

 varieties. 



It is often inconvenient and, no doubt, unnecessary, to 

 alternate the rows, as some do, but it is just as convenient 

 to have, say, four rows of one variety and then four of 

 another variety. This arrangement is sufficient to insure 

 perfect cross-pollination. It is necessary, however, to 

 plant together varieties with coinciding seasons of bloom. 

 Practically all of our commercial varieties of pears bloom 

 near enough together to insure perfect cross-pollination, 

 and with the exception of the Rome (Beauty) and Rails 

 (Geneton), the blooming periods of our common commer- 

 cial varieties of apple overlap enough in normal seasons 

 that they may pollinate each other. 



When to Plant 



In many fruit regions the grower has his choice of plant- 

 ing either in the spring or in the fall, but in the arid fruit 

 sections of the West, spring planting is really the only 

 practice that can be recommended. Trees planted in the 

 fall do not become well established, and in the dry winters 

 the roots are unable to supply moisture as rapidly as it 

 is being transpired from the top. As a consequence, the 

 tree often dries out to the extent that it lacks the vitality 

 to make a good start in the spring. 



March and April are the favorable months for tree- 

 planting in the Middle Western states. As a rule the trees 

 may be planted as soon as the ground is in condition 



