An Experiment in Dry-Land 

 Orcharding 



By Bernard Mackensen, M. S. 



It was eleven years ago that the writer proceeded to 

 put to the test his ideas regarding the growing of fruit- 

 trees in a dry climate, such as that of Southwest Texas. 

 His method, which he believes to be original with him- 

 self to a certain degree, does not employ ordinary irriga- 

 tion but has recourse to what might be called storm-water 

 irrigation without a reservoir, or conservation of the sur- 

 face runoff. 



LOCATION OF ORCHARD. 



The plat (about 100x200 feet) selected for the experi- 

 ment is situated in a slight depression on the eastern slope 

 of a high hill (Beacon Hill) in the northern suburbs of 

 San Antonio. The soil is what is designated in the Soil 

 Survey of the San Antonio Area as the Houston black 

 clay loam. It is grayish black to black and from two to 

 five feet deep, being underlaid by marl, and this in turn 

 by limestone. Plate XII. shows the character of the native 

 vegetation (xerophytic) that was cleared rrom the land. 



PREPARATION OF LAND. 



In preparing the land, it was leveled in the north and 

 south direction and ditches, broadly V-shaped in cross- 

 section, were run across the plat in the same direction in 

 such positions that they would lie midway between the 

 rows of trees when these were planted. These ditches 

 were connected with a broad and shallow main ditch run- 

 ning down the hill along the south side of the plat. The 



