SOIL PROFILE AND ROOT PENETRATION BY APPLE TREES 



29 



In soils of group 1, where deep penetration is not obstructed, roots 

 extend to a depth ranging from 7 to 10 feet. 



This agrees not only with production records but 

 also with production stability, or uniformity of pro- 

 duction. Trees which, by deep and extensive root- 

 ing, have the greatest soil and moisture resources 

 give the largest and most consistent yields, and fruit 

 of the best quality. 



CONCLUSIONS 



In the principal commercial apple-growing district 

 of western New York, extending for a distance of 

 about 125 miles along the shore of Lake Ontario, a 

 close relation is found between soil profile, depth of 

 rooting, and apple production. 



In extensive sections used for orchard planting the 

 maximum depth of rooting is about 3 feet. In other 

 sections of imperfectly drained soil it is about 6 feet, 

 but in the deepest best-drained soils it is more than 

 9 feet. 



Any orchardist of this district can, by careful obser- 

 vation and the use of pick and shovel, judge the value 

 of Ins soil for orchard planting with a fair degree of 

 accuracy. Dark-colored, poorly drained soils are to 

 be avoided. Soil with imperfect underdrainage, indi- 

 cated by strongly developed gray layers or by heavy 

 mottling of light gray and rust brown, especially soils 

 occupying flat topography and having impervious or 

 shallow subsoils, are to be used with caution. 



Soils and subsoils of nearly uniform color and with 

 gradual gradations in texture are preferable to soils 

 with sharp, abrupt changes in either color or texture. 



The greatest aids to stabilization of production in 

 this district, as in many others, are (1) the proper 

 selection of soils for new plantings, (2) the cutting out 

 of orchards where production is low and cannot be im- 

 proved, (3) the elimination of marginal lands for 

 orchard purposes, and (4) better control of moisture 

 conditions, consisting in this district largely of provid- 

 ing better surface drainage, 



hi 





*v?pM 



Ofr 



Figure 17.— The ex- 

 tent of roots in a 

 strip 1 foot wide 

 and 2 inches thick 

 from surface to a 

 depth of 9 feet. 



