Soil Adaptations 15 



in the neighborhood may give some indication of soil 

 conditions. If the region is soil-surveyed, the intending 

 grower should attempt to recognize the successful orchards 

 on the soil-map. In a few cases, special studies by an ex- 

 pert have been made of the soil types in relation to fruits, 

 and advantage should always be taken of such work. 



The subsoil. — In making soil-determinations, the planter 

 should not be guided by the character of the surface-soil 

 alone. ' With modem methods of soil-examination, the 

 subsoil is always taken into account. Booth goes so far 

 (Okla. Exp. Sta.) as to say that "The character of the sur- 

 face-soil appears to have little or nothing to do with mak- 

 ing good tree land. Good orchards will be found on all 

 kinds of soils, from dense clays to light sands. It is cer- 

 tainly not due to the richness of the soil, for many of the 

 best orchard sections of the United States have thin soils 

 which require constant feeding. In fact, there is only one 

 thing which is found constantly associated with good or- 

 chard land, and that is an open porous subsoil. The adap- 

 tability of land for tree-growth is shown by the character 

 of the soil from 1 to 6 feet below the surface. If the 

 land is satisfactory for 4 feet down, usually this is deep 

 enough for satisfactory tree-growth, although 6 feet is 

 better. The average farmer knows but little about his land 

 below the bottom of the furrow made by the plow, so that 

 he is frequently but little better fitted to say where his 

 trees should be planted than someone who has never seen 

 the land. 



"There are many ways of becoming acqijainted with 

 the subsoil. One of the best is by the use of a spade.— 

 The digging of a few holes 5 or 6 feet deep in different parts ^ 

 of the farm will reveal an astonishing amount of informa- 

 tion as to the character of the subsoil. The number of 



