18 



ifhanges take place so gradually that the owner usually fails to 

 realize what is happening until some year he finds that, instead 

 of an orchard of well sounded trees he has a lot of forest 

 trees with a bouquet of leaves at the top. 



In the end the bearing surface becomes the nearly level 

 surface on the tops of the trees. This is a very small surface 

 when compared to a succession of well rounded tops. If trees are 

 30X30 and left till they interfere so as to kill the lower limbs 

 the bearing surface approaches the level surface on the tops of 

 the trees. Each tree approaches 900 sq.ft. of exposure to sun- 

 light or bearing surface; or 2 trees approach 1800 sq.ft. The 

 area of the surface of a v/ell rounded tree 32 ft. high and 

 having a spread of 40ft. is about 4000 sq. ft. Trees of this 

 size still lack 2.4 ft, of meeting if they are 42.4 ft. apart; 

 and "50)% of the surface of the ground is exposed to the sunlight. 

 There can be no doubt in any bodies mind which is the more 

 profilable from a dollars and cents standpoint; the 2 trees with 

 a total bearing surface of 1800 sq. ft.; or the one tree v/ith a 

 bearing surface of 4,000 sq. ft. This calculation asstimes the 

 tree to have a regular form and is of course hypothetical; but 

 it clearly indicates that there are two reasons why trees planted 

 too close toge'Ht-er do not bear as well as trees at a normal 

 distance; 



1 They are not so healthy, 



2 They do not have so much bearing surface. 



Trees that are too close together furnish favorable condi- 

 tions for fungous diseases and insect pests; they are hard to 

 spray; the apples are more difficult to pick and, because they do 

 not get the sunlight, are of poor color and quality. Perhaps the 



