October, 1910 



T H p: garden m a g a z I X i: 



117 



I 



shown by the dotted lines in fig. 9. By set- 

 ting the permanent trees forty-five feet or 

 more apart, peach fillers could be planted on 

 the corners of squares 11 feet 3 inches apart, 

 dividing the original squares into sixteen 

 small ones, which could be gradually thinned 

 to the stages already given. 



The quincunx system offers a better 

 means of using fillers. Figure 10 represents 

 the orchard with permanent trees in quin- 

 cunx groups, and two sets of fillers. Stand- 

 ard apple fillers should be set half way 

 between the permanent trees, forming the 

 corners of squares running diagonally 

 across the field and of the same size as the 

 diagonal squares of the permanent trees. 

 (Cf. two squares in fig. 3.) Peaches should 

 be set half way between the permanent 

 trees on the diagonal rows, as represented 

 by the smallest trees of fig. 10. These 

 trees would be the first to come out, and 

 should be cut out by removing the alter- 

 nate perpendicular rows, as shown in fig. 

 II. This leaves the permanent trees and 

 apple fillers. When the apple fillers begin 

 to crowd, cut them out by removing the 

 alternate rows diagonally, as shown in 

 fig. 12. 



The greatest number of trees per acre, 

 and the most evenly distributed, occur by 

 using the hexagonal system. The only 

 difficulty is that, in thinning, the distance 

 between the trees is doubled. Fig. 13 shows 

 the arrangement of permanent trees, and one 

 set of fillers f)lanted according to this sys- 

 tem. Fig. 14 shows the method of re- 

 moving the fillers, by taking out the alternate 

 rows running diagonally across the field 

 in both directions. 



Figure 15 shows a method of planting 

 320 fruit trees per acre, or 160 fruit trees 

 and 550 bushes of small fruit, by the hex- 

 agonal plan. With such an intensive system 

 cf planting, the permanent trees should be 

 at least 50 feet apart. The large dots (solid 

 black) represent the permanent apple-trees, 

 set 50 feet apart. The smaller dots (solid 

 black) represent standard apple fillers set 

 half way between the permanent trees, 

 making the apple-trees 25 feet apart. The 

 larger circles (unshaded) are peach-trees, 

 set half way between the apple-trees in the 

 perpendicular rows. In this way, there are 

 20 permanent trees, 60 apple fillers, and 80 

 peach-trees per acre. The smaller circles 

 (unshaded) are extra peach trees put half 

 way between the trees already set, which 

 would make 320 trees per acre. In this way 

 the orchard would accommodate 240 peach- 

 trees per acre. But instead of the extra 

 peaches, small fruits may be planted as 

 shown by the smallest dots, arranged in 

 three rows between the rows of ' apple-trees. 

 In this way 550 bushes of small fruits 

 per acre may be accommodated, leaving 

 plenty of room for cultivation. They 

 should be removed, however, before they 

 begin to crowd the trees; but, since there 

 is almost eleven feet left between them and 

 the trees, they will have plenty of time to 

 bring in considerable money before their 

 departure. 



The following table shows the number 



of permanent trees and permanent trees 

 with one set of fillers, together with the dis- 

 tances apart of permanent trees and fillers, 

 planted according to the three different 

 systems. The figures in parentheses after 

 the quincunx show the distance of the centre 

 tree of the group from the corner trees of 

 the square: 



the distance of the north and south rows of 

 the square system. The rows running east 

 and west in the hexagonal system are at the 

 same distance apart as the similar rows in 

 the quincunx. 



Cultivating an orchard diagonally requires 

 considerably more turning than carrying on 

 operations parallel with the rows. This 



NUMBER OF TREES PER ACRE ACCORDINC. TO THE DIFFERENT SYSTEMS OF PLANTIVC; 



System 



Distance Apart 



\'o. of Trees per Acre 



Permanent 



Fillers 



Permanent 



Perm. Fillers 



Hexagonal 



Square 



Quincunx 



30 ft. 

 30 ft. 

 30 (21.2) 



IS ft. 

 IS ft. 

 IS ft. 



5 S 

 48 

 07 



220 

 104 

 104 



Hexagonal 



Square 



Quincunx 



32 ft. 

 32 ft. 

 32 ft. (22.6) 



16 ft. 

 16 ft. 



1 6 ft. 



4Q 

 42 

 85 



196 

 168 

 168 



Hexagonal 



Square 



Quincunx 



33 ft. 

 33 ft. 

 33 ft. (23.3) 



16.S ft. 

 t6.=; ft. 

 i6.q ft. 



46 

 40 

 80 



184 

 160 

 160 



Hexagonal 



Square 

 Quincunx 



35 ft- 

 35 ft. 

 35 ft- {24-7) 



17.5 ft. 

 17.S ft. 

 17-5 ft- 



41 



35 



70 



166 



140 

 140 



Hexagonal 



Square 

 Quincunx 



40 ft. 

 40 ft. 

 40 ft. (28.3) 



20 ft. 

 20 ft. 

 20 ft. 



31 

 27 



54 



124 

 108 

 108 



Hexagonal 



Square 



Quincunx 



45 ft- 

 45 ft- 

 45 ft- (31-8) 



22.5 ft. 

 22.5 ft. 

 22. s ft. 



25 

 22 



43 



100 

 86 

 86 



Hexagonal 



Square 



Quincunx 



soft, 

 50 ft. 

 SO ft. (35.4) 



25 ft. 

 25 ft. 

 25 ft- 



20 

 17 

 34 



80 

 68 

 68 



The comparative ease with which tillage, 

 spraying and other operations may be car- 

 ried on in the orchards planted according to 

 the different systems may be seen bv the 

 following table, showing the distances be- 

 tween the rows of permanent trees, with 

 two sets of fillers, running north and south, 

 east and west, and diagonally across the 

 field: 



distance between rows is the greatest in the 

 quincunx, and least in the square system 

 (compared with the other directions in the 

 same system). In the hexagonal system 

 the distance north and south and diagonally 

 is the same, with the east and west distance 

 the least. Ordinarily, therefore, orchard 

 operations could be most easily carried on 

 north and south in the hexagonal system. 



DISTANCES BETW^EEN ROW^S ACCORDING TO SYSTEM OF PL.A.NTING 





Direction 



Square System 



Quincunx 



Hexagonal 



Dist. 



Distance between Rows 



Distance between Rows 



Distance between Rows 



Perm. 

 Trees 



of 

 Rows 

















Fillers 





Fill-rs 





Fillers 







Pertn . 





Perm. 







Perm. 







I 



2 



I 





I 



2 



45 ft. 



N. &S. 



45 



22. s 



11.25 



22.5 



11.25 



5.62 



39 



19-5 



9-75 





E. & W. 



45 



22. s 



11.25 



22. S 



11.25 



5.62 



22.5 



11.25 



5.62 





Diag. 



31.8 



15-9 



7-95 



31.8 



15-9 



7-95 



39 



19-5 



9-75 



40 ft. 



N. &S. 



40 



20 



10 



20 



10 



5 



34-6 



17-3 



8.6 





E. & W. 



40 



20 



10 



20 



10 



5 



20 



10 



5 





Diag. 



28.3 



14.1 



7 



28.3 



I4-I 



7 



34-6 



17-3 



8.6 



The distances between the rows of per- 

 manent trees and fillers for trees at 50 ft. 

 hexagonal system are given in fig. 15. 



The greatest distances between the rows 

 east and west are gained in the square 

 system although the diagonal distance is less 

 in this than in the hexagonal. The quincunx 

 system diminishes by half the distance be- 

 tween the rows of the square system run- 

 ning north and south, but the diagonal 

 distance is the same. The hexagonal 

 system gives considerably more room for 

 orchard operations than the quincunx, the 

 rows running north and south being the 

 same distance apart, and about seven-eighths 



If fillers are used, much more room is 

 obtained between the rows by planting ac- 

 cording to the hexagonal system than the 

 quincunx, as well as a larger number of trees. 

 If a very intensive system of fillers is used, 

 the permanent trees must be placed far 

 enough apart to permit of cultivation be- 

 tween the fillers. It is for that reason that 

 the trees are placed fifty feet apart in fig. 

 15. When the small fruits are used, the 

 closest rows are 6 feet 3 inches apart running 

 east and west, and 3 feet 7 inches apart 

 north and south, and 4 feet 2 inches dia- 

 gonally. 



To facilitate all orchard operations, a row 



