ADAPTATION OF VARIETIES TO SOILS 17 



its region. Good air drainage is essential. Lack of it makes neces- 

 sary the elimination of many soil areas that would otherwise be 

 desirable. Its excellent dessert quality makes the Grimes a favorite 

 sort both for family and for commercial use. For a special box 

 trade, it is especially valuable. 



Hubbardston. Compared with the Baldwin soil requirements, 

 the heaviest soils desirable for the Hubbardston in the northern 

 districts lap over for a little upon the lightest soils desirable for 

 the Baldwin, while at the other extreme the Hubbardston will 

 utilize the most sandy soil of any of the varieties of that region. 

 This does not mean that it will succeed on poor light sands, for 

 on such soils the apple will not attain sufficient size to be of 

 value, nor is the tree vigorous enough, but the soil should always 

 be very mellow. 



A rich fine sandy loam to a depth of at least a foot is preferable, 

 and the subsoil may well be of the same texture. On such soils 

 this variety gives remarkable results in New England, where it 

 originated. A subsoil containing enough clay to make the fine 

 sandy material somewhat coherent or sticky is excellent, but there 

 should never be enough clay present to render the subsoil heavy. 

 If the soil is too heavy or too clayey the fruit is liable, in the 

 northern sections especially, to have greasy skins, the color is defi- 

 cient, and the flavor insufficiently developed ; but in the southern 

 sections fairly heavy soils, such as loams, may well be used if 

 mellow and friable. In common phraseology the soil should be 

 such as to respond quickly to fertilizers, not the earliest soil but 

 one moderately early. The Hubbardston requires good air drainage 

 and local elevation for the best results. 



King. The Tompkins King is fully as exacting as the Northern 

 Spy in soil adaptation. The tree, with its straggling tendency of 

 growth, does not develop satisfactorily on sandy soils, but succeeds 

 best on a moist yet well-drained soil ; that is, the light Rhode 

 Island Greening soils — a soil capable of maintaining such supply 

 of moisture that the tree receives no check at the approach of 

 drought. But the fruit grown on soils so heavy lacks clearness of 

 skin, and the appearance of the apple is marred by the greenish 

 look, extending far up the sides from the blossom end, and the lack 

 of well-developed color, which makes this fruit at its best very 



