58 BULLETIN 140, XT. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 



ern Connecticut, even on soils adapted to it, is not as well developed 

 as that from the northern half of the Connecticut Valley in Massa- 

 chusetts, notwithstanding the low elevation there. Even in Litchfield 

 County, in orchards well cared for, Rhode Island Greening has not 

 in some cases given yields sufficiently large to make it as profitable as 

 Baldwin. These various limitations indicate that Rhode Island 

 Greening is more restricted in its range of adaptation than the 

 Baldwin, and that it does not adapt itself to climatic conditions as 

 far south as the Baldwin, even though suitable soils occur there. In 

 fact, its southern boundary may be roughly estimated at 0.25° north 

 of the forty-first parallel. South of that it becomes a fall apple and 

 keeps very poorly. 



SOILS FAVORABLE FOR THE HUBBARDSTON. 



Compared with the Baldwin soil requirements, the heaviest soils 

 desirable for the Hubbardston lap over for a little upon the lightest 

 soils desirable for the Baldwin, while at the other extreme the Hub- 

 bardston will utilize to advantage a more sandy soil than most other 

 varieties of New England. This does not mean that it will succeed 

 on poor light sands, for on such soils the apple will not attain suffi- 

 cient 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 well may be of the 

 same texture. The Hubbardston does remarkably well on a rich 

 fine sandy loam in the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts where 

 fertilized highly enough for tobacco, onions, or garden crops. The 

 fruit is of good size, well colored, and with good keeping qualities. 

 Baldwin grown alongside is poorly colored and inferior in both 

 flavor and keeping quality, yet on the same soil where the humus con- 

 tent is lower, and the soil less rich, the fruit is much better in all 

 these respects. This warrants the conclusion that on this soil humus 

 and nitrogen-carrying fertilizers may easily be supplied in too great 

 amounts for the Baldwin, and that Hubbardston can use more of 

 them to advantage than Baldwin. This indicates relative soil con- 

 ditions for these varieties, and, to some extent, fundamental soil 

 selection also. A subsoil containing enough clay to make the fine 

 sandy material somewhat coherent, or sticky, is not objectionable for 

 Hubbardston, 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 to have a greasy skin and a deficient color, the fruit 

 tends to be small and the flavor is insufficiently developed. This last 

 tendency was very noticeable in 1912 in an orchard which receives 

 good treatment but is underlain with hardpan at depths ranging 

 from 18 to 24 inches. In 1912 the color was good, but the owner 

 stated it also to be deficient in normal seasons. The light phase of 



