December 1, 1905.] 



SCIENCE. 



in 



but the soil is not of such a character as to 

 effect a satisfactory growth of tree, and the 

 bearing life of the tree is so short as to make 

 it manifestly ill-advised to plant orchards 

 upon this type of soil, except possibly to fur- 

 nish a household supply of fruit. 



Similar results observed upon the Norfolk 

 sand and certain light sandy loams, and sandy 

 gravelly loams of the Atlantic seaboard, show 

 clearly that there is a limit in the coarseness' 

 of soil texture beyond which the soil can not 

 be used for profitable apple culture. That 

 this limit can be definitely established by 

 further study, particularly if pursued in a 

 comparative way, is, it is believed, unques- 

 tionable. 



To go to the other extreme of soil texture, 

 many clays and heavy clay loams are either 

 productive or capable of being made so when 

 put into the proper physical condition, and 

 when so improved yield good crops of general 

 farm produce. Apples grown under such con- 

 ditions, however, as observed on certain fields 

 of the Miami clay loam in Oakland County 

 Michigan, on the Dunkirk clay in the Cham- 

 plain Valley, on the Hagerstown clay in 

 Adams County, Pennsylvania, and on local 

 areas of the same type in the Pikeville area, 

 Tennessee, are inclined not only to have greasy 

 skins, but also to be inferior in color, and so 

 fail to command the highest prices. Further- 

 more, when the subsoil passes a certain stage 

 of stiffness, namely, a texture so close that 

 the roots do not penetrate readily and freely 

 to a depth of several feet, satisfactory growth 

 of tree and consequent quantity of fruit are 

 also impossible. 



That these tendencies are largely textural 

 problems is shown on the last two types by 

 local areas containing considerable chert or 

 small stone fragments which serve to loosen 

 the soil. From such areas the fruit has a 

 much clearer and better colored skin, and the 

 greasy characteristic is much less prevalent. 



The statement is heard frequently that the 

 apple will succeed on any soil which will pro- 

 duce a good crop of corn. No preconceived 

 idea related to apple growing is more danger- 

 ous, perhaps, than this one. That good corn 

 soils may be favorable for apple production is 



unquestionable, but that the opposite fre- 

 quently is the case may be best illustrated, 

 possibly, by a concrete example : The best corn 

 soil in the United States which occurs in con- 

 siderable areas is, probably, the deep, black 

 prairie soil of the middle western states, the 

 Miami black clay loam. But for apples it is 

 found to be favorable only in so far as it con- 

 duces to a rank growth of tree. This tend- 

 ency, indeed, is so marked upon this soil that 

 the yield of fruit is, as a rule, materially 

 lessened, at least until the tree has attained a 

 considerable sizcv The tree, moreover, is not 

 hardy, the color of the fruit is decidedly in- 

 ferior, the grain of the fruit inclines towards 

 coarseness, the flavor is never the best, and the 

 keeping qualities are but mediocre. This is, 

 of course, an extreme case, but it represents, 

 nevertheless, a definite tendency of all that 

 class of soils which possess in any marked de- 

 gree the characteristics of this type. 



Having ever in mind the ideal results al- 

 ready defined, as regards quantity and quality 

 of fruit, and the extent to which they are in- 

 fluenced by the character of the soil per se, 

 it will be interesting to develop some definite 

 conclusion concerning the soil characteristics 

 which contribute most fully to these ends. 

 Discarding sands and clays for the reasons 

 already noted, there is left a large class of 

 soils ranging at the surface from sandy loams 

 to clay loams, with the subsoils presenting a 

 similarly wide range of variation. 



The apple tree under favorable conditions is 

 a vigorous grower, and has an extensive root 

 system. Such a root system can be developed 

 only where the soil particles are of such size 

 and arrangement as not only to allow free root 

 penetration to considerable depths, but also to 

 retain such amounts of moisture as shall be 

 favorable to root growth, and not allow avail- 

 able plant food to be leached away more 

 rapidly than the tree's needs. These two 

 characteristics, however, start from opposite 

 textural extremes and it is only as they ap- 

 proach each other that a satisfactory condi- 

 tion exists. A light sandy subsoil allows free 

 root penetration, but is not sufficiently reten- 

 tive of moisture and dissolved plant food to 

 supply the needs of the tree. In fact, if we 



