ORCHARDS. 



33 



has been many times overlooked when choosing 

 sites for fruit plantations, with the result that 

 repeated disasters have been experienced. 



It is impossible to formulate a rule that will 

 apply to all districts, as local conditions often 

 exercise a complicated influence, but in general, 

 as regards the central portion of England, most 

 distant from the coast in every direction, a lower 

 elevation than from 350 to 400 feet above sea- 

 level is exposed to considerable risks from spring 

 frosts. As the coast is approached the minimum 

 altitude of comparative safety falls until near 

 the sea, where the lowest point is reached. As 

 already indicated, this is affected to some extent 

 by the neighbourhood of higher land, as the low 

 temperatures are mainly due to the descent of 

 cold air from greater elevations, and to air- 

 stagnation. Especially unfavourable effects are 

 produced when the more elevated land is on the 

 south or south-west side, and when the lower 

 sites are more or less enclosed, preventing the 

 escape of the cold heavy air. 



The necessity for what is termed atmospheric 

 drainage has received some consideration in the 

 United States, and as Professor L. H. Bailey 

 says, the "escape of cold air is the secret of 

 * much of the success of fruit-growing on rolling 

 and sloping land ". This is unquestionably the 

 fact, and many examples could be found in 

 this country where, though the actual elevation 

 of the orchard is lower than might be considered 

 safe, yet owing to the proximity of still lower 

 land the ill effects are avoided to a large 

 extent. 



The aspect of an orchard site has a bearing 

 upon success in several ways, especially if the 

 land slopes in a particular direction. A northerly 

 slope is obviously unfavourable to wood and 

 fruit ripening, but such inclines can occasionally 

 be utilized on a small scale for the prolongation 

 of supplies. An easterly direction is a source of 

 danger in time of frost, because the rapid thaw- 

 ing of slightly-frozen flowers, caused by exposure 

 to the rays of the early morning sun, will often 

 bring a destruction that might have been avoided 

 under other circumstances. A direct south-west 

 exposure necessitates adequate shelter, or when 

 the trees are laden with fruit the gales commonly 

 reaching us from that quarter will do much 

 damage. 



The question of shelter generally requires 

 careful consideration, for it is certainly ex- 

 tremely disadvantageous to plant fruit-trees in 

 very exposed positions unless some protection 

 can be afforded. It is not only that the trees 

 themselves are often damaged, but the fruits, 

 vol. ii. 



particularly Apples, even if not blown off, are 

 so bruised as to be rendered almost worthless. 



Belts of trees will afford this shelter, and 

 these can be formed at moderate expense if 

 there be land available for the purpose. Where 

 quickly-developed protection is required nothing 

 surpasses the Poplars for rapid growth, but they 

 are objectionable in some respects, chiefly as the 

 haunt of many insect pests. Mixed plantations 

 of deciduous trees with Conifers also constitute 

 efficient shelters, while for hedges near the 

 orchard as wind-breaks, the Cherry Plum or 

 Myrobalan (Primus cerasifera) is admirably 

 adapted, being of strong growth in all suitable 

 soils, and forming a thick fence in a few years. 



Soil. — An ideal soil for almost all the hardy 

 fruits employed in the formation of orchards 

 and plantations is a substantial loam resting on 

 a well-drained subsoil. For Apples it may be 

 fairly heavy, cool, and moist, but even for them 

 it should be of a nature that admits of free 

 cultivation. A near approach to clay is as 

 objectionable as a sterile sand. 



The physical condition of a soil is often of 

 more importance than its actual constituents, 

 as by mechanical means and the employment 

 of suitable manures great improvement can be 

 effected if the soil be neither excessively tena- 

 cious nor too sandy. Still, if it is possible to 

 make a choice, preference should be given to 

 a moderately heavy soil rather than a light one, 

 if Apple-trees are to constitute the whole or 

 major part of the plantation. 



It has been shown by chemical analysis that 

 all our hardy fruits abstract from the soil a 

 large proportion of phosphoric acid and potash, 

 therefore land that is to be utilized successfully 

 for fruit culture must contain plentiful stores of 

 these essentials. An analysis of a soil is a useful 

 guide in this respect as indicating what is present 

 in it, but even the best analysis cannot tell pre- 

 cisely what proportion of the substances present 

 are immediately available to the roots of fruit- 

 trees, or plants generally. In consequence it 

 sometimes happens that on land showing widely 

 different results in analysis equally marked suc- 

 cess in fruit culture may be obtained. But the 

 analysis of a soil is valuable in another way, 

 namely, it shows whether an important con- 

 stituent is seriously deficient, and it also points 

 out the presence of a substance that may be 

 positively injurious. Therefore it is advisable, 

 before undertaking the expense of preparing a 

 large area of land for fruit plantations, to secure 

 a reliable analysis of the soil. 



As examples of the variation in the chemical 



44 



