64 BULLETIN 140, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



feeder, the growers believing that it will use to advantage heavy 

 applications of stable manure. 



In one of the most successful orchards the surface soil consists of 

 a heavy loam from 10 to 15 inches deep, which has been highly fer- 

 tilized with stable manure and kept well supplied with humus for 

 at least 50 years, the very antithesis of the soil conditions desired for 

 the Baldwin (see Plates IV and XX). The subsoil is lighter, a 

 fine sandy loam or a gravelly sandy loam. The soil of another excel- 

 lent orchard consists of a light silty and fine sandy loam underlain 

 by fine sandy loam. 



A deep, rich, loamy soil with the upper subsoil of at least medium 

 porosity seems to be essential, though a heavier subsoil at a depth of 

 4 to 6 feet is apparently not objectionable. The first orchard men- 

 tioned is underlain by a retentive subsoil of clay loam to clay, at a 

 depth of about 6 feet. The Roxbury thrives on a much richer soil 

 than the Baldwin, which does not color well on the best russet soils. 

 The " green " Rhode Island greening soil, on the other hand, is some- 

 what too clayey for the Roxbury. 



Grown on the soil conditions described, the Roxbury tree is pro- 

 lific in Massachusetts, the fruit attains large size and good quality, 

 its keeping characteristics are excellent, and it brings a good price, 

 especially for export trade. Young trees of this sort are now so 

 rarely planted that there would seem to be a good opportunity for 

 it in a limited way to supply the small yet definite demand. 



MISCELLANEOUS NOTES ON SOIL-VARIETAL ADAPTATION. 



In the eastern part of Massachusetts with its near-by markets 

 summer and fall varieties of apples such as Williams (Williams 

 Favorite), Red Astrachan, Maiden Blush, Oldenburg (Duchess of 

 Oldenburg), Wealthy, etc., are grown with much success on Glouces- 

 ter loam and Gloucester fine, sandy loam. The predominating reason 

 for growing these and other early season varieties in eastern Massa- 

 chusetts is, however, except in the case of Wealthy and to some 

 extent Oldenburg, the local or near-by market demand, rather than 

 the character of the soil, which also happens to be favorable. This 

 is shown by the fact that, with the exception of Wealthy, which has 

 been much used as a filler in recent plantings, these varieties are 

 little grown in western Massachusetts, even though they give good 

 results there on the same or similar soils. 



It may be added that Red Astrachan under ordinary or average 

 conditions maintains a stronger growth for a longer term of years 

 on the Gloucester series than on the average Wethersfield soils. This 

 is strongly indicated by the productiveness of old trees or of trees 

 more than 25 years old. It seems probable that the arrest of growth 



