74 SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



growing apple varieties require two rods, and the wide spreading apple 

 varieties three rods. 



Mixed Plantings are not considered wise by commercial orchardists. 

 Each kind of fruit is kept in a block by itself. This favors uniform treat- 

 ment. In home plantings, however, such a plan is not always feasible; 

 so that by giving a little extra attention the general farmer may have all 

 his fruit crops together in one area. Bush fruits and strawberries will not 

 do well after the trees come into bearing, but up to that time they may be 

 grown between the trees. Where the rod is the unit of measure, two rows 

 of bush fruits may be placed between the tree rows five feet three inches 

 from the trees, thus making them six feet apart and allowing for the planting 

 of one row of strawberries or truck between them. The strawberries will 

 give one good crop, perhaps two, before the bushes will need the space and 

 the bushes will give two to perhaps four crops before they will have to be 

 removed to get best results from the trees. 



If desired one row of grapes may run between the trees, thus leaving 

 eight feet three inches between it and the trees. But since grapes do well 

 for ten or more years, they had better be placed at the side of the orchard. 

 Besides strawberries, various vegetables may be planted between the tree 

 rows for two to five or six years. It is a good plan to place the bush fruits 

 in checks so cultivation may be given in two directions from the start. 



The Operation of Planting offers no difficulty. The holes should be 

 dug large enough to take in the roots without serious bending, though 

 bending is not of much consequence. The largest roots should be turned 

 toward the prevailing wind. When the holes are dug the top soil should be 

 laid in one pile and the subsoil in another. Then when the tree is placed in 

 the hole never more than two inches deeper than it stood in the nursery 

 row the top soil should be worked among the roots and tramped down 

 hard. Finally, the subsoil should be placed on top, tramped down and a 

 few shovelfuls of soil scattered loosely on top to check evaporation of 

 water from the ground. 



First Pruning. After the trees have been planted they should be 

 pruned. All puny, inferior twigs should be removed, only three to five 

 well-placed ones being left at least a hand's breadth apart on the trunk. 

 If these are two hand-breadths apart, so much the better, because there 

 will be less danger of splitting when loaded with fruit or ice. The frame 

 limbs should be cut back a half or more. Usually, the leader should be cut 

 out to make the tree open-headed. 



The lowest limb should be fifteen inches to two feet from the ground 

 to favor low heading with all its advantages of easy pruning, spraying, 

 thinning and harvesting, to say nothing of lessened wind damage. Exten- 

 sion tillage tools will cultivate close to the trunks when the trees get large. 

 Until then, ordinary harrows and cultivators will serve every purpose. 

 During the first year, leaves should never be pulled from the trunk and 

 branches. The tree needs them to ripen its wood. If removed the trees 



