CHAJPTEE VIII. 



SOME LEADING PRINCIPLES OF FRUIT-GROWING AND 

 DEVELOPMENT. 



96. Selection of Soil and Subsoil. — Where possible the 

 location of the home grounds, orchard, and nursery should 

 be determined largely by the character of the soil and 

 subsoil. Orchard trees, small fruits, ornamental trees, 

 and shrubs thrive best and live longest on fairly rich soils 

 with porous subsoil to a depth of at least twenty feet. In 

 all parts of the Union we find decided variations in soil 

 and subsoil in the same vicinity or even on the same farm. 

 The porous subsoil permits the ascent of moisture from 

 below in a dry time and favors the descent of surplus water 

 in a wet period. It also favors a deeper root system less 

 affected by the heat of summer and the cold of winter. 

 This does not mean that fruits of some varieties and 

 species cannot be grown for home use on almost any soil 

 or subsoil with the help in some places of tile-draining, 

 irrigation, fertilizing, or other aids. But fruit-growing, 

 or fruit-tree growing for profit, gives best results with 

 least expenditure on soils and subsoils well fitted by nature 

 for conserving soil-moisture. 



97. Air-drainage. — During recent years the word " Air- 

 drainage " as applied to home and orchard sites has come 

 into general use. Even in California the " mesa" or. hill- 

 slope lands are now in demand for growing the citrus and 



93 



