8 THE APPLE 



simple survey may mean the saving of hundreds of dollars later on, 

 and it not only increases the money value but gives the satisfaction 

 of knowing that the best site has been selected, considering climate. 



Soil. Only recently has the selection of soils for an apple 

 orchard been given much notice in comparison with the attention 

 which has been given to the selection of soils for other crops. 

 The old prescription, "a deep, well-drained soil for successful 

 apple-growing," is as applicable to-day as in the past, but it 

 applies to other crops just as much as to apples. However, it has 

 been found, when other conditions are equalized, that the best 

 results are obtained when a certain variety is favored with a defi- 

 nite soil type. This observation has led some scientists into the 

 more detailed study of the relationship between certain varieties 

 and different soils, so that to-day soils are mentioned as Baldwin 

 soils, others as Rhode Island Greening soils, Northern Spy soils, 

 Grimes soils, and so on. A later chapter will be given over to a 

 detailed discussion of these different soil types as applied to their 

 adaptability to certain varieties of apples. 



Water supply in the soil. In general, medium loams with 

 slightly heavier, fairly friable subsoils are the best soils for apples. 

 If the soil tends toward heavy clay it is likely to be too wet, 

 compact, and therefore too cold. On the other hand, light sandy 

 soils are too loose and therefore often dry out very quickly. 

 This dryness of the soil often increases the desired color of the 

 fruit, while the wet, heavy soil has a tendency to decrease the 

 desired color ; but the heavier soils have ranker growth of wood 

 and larger leaves, while the sands produce much poorer leaf and 

 wood growth. 



The water-holding capacity of the soil seems to be the funda- 

 mental factor in making a certain soil suitable for the most suc- 

 cessful growth of a given variety of apple within the fruit's general 

 climatic region. Why this is so may not be perfectly clear to the 

 reader, but it may be somewhat clearer when it is understood that 

 the only kind of water which plant growth seems to be able to use 

 is the capillary water which the soil holds, and that the capacity 

 of a soil to hold capillary water depends on several factors. 



The size of the soil grains, or the soil texture, is a very impor- 

 tant factor. Every soil particle is surrounded by a film of moisture. 



