50 Practical Orcharding On Rough Lands. 



Root-Rot This is particularly noticeable in 

 orchards where water stands around the trees 

 in the winter or during the early spring. Ben 

 Davis suffers occasionally in the same way, 

 while the Spy and Baldwin seem to be able to 

 stand more water without damage than many 

 others. 



Root-rot may be recognized by the bark 

 around the crown of the tree turning dark and 

 coming loose from the wood, and when ex- 

 amined there will be found a slimy substance 

 under the bark. This trouble may appear only 

 on one side of the tree. The tree may linger 

 along for a season or two, but sooner or later 

 will succumb. 



There are many other reasons why wet soil 

 should be avoided, such as a severe freezing of 

 the soil and roots. The difficulty in getting and 

 retaining cover crops, such as clover, on account 

 of the lifting of the plants during the freezing 

 and thawmg weather Many orchards have 

 been failures because the soil has been too wet 

 and the planter has not considered the drainage 

 of enough importance to warrant the necessary 

 outlay of time and money. Again it has often 

 been because of the thoughtlessness of the 

 planter, never having had his attention called 

 to the importance of drainage. 



