1840 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



Otlaer questions arise, but tliese are suf- 

 ficient to sliow the importance of tlie sub- 

 ject. 



Various experiment stations have inves- 

 tigated this subject, among them the sta- 

 tions of Wisconsin, Illinois, Arizona, Ohio, 

 and the managers of the Woodburn Fruit 

 Farm, in England. 



It was found that varieties differ 

 greatly, and that the same varieties dif- 



fered much under different conditions of 

 soil. The greatest depths of roots ob- 

 served at the various places were as fol- 

 lows: Wisconsin, 9 feet; Illinois, 5 feet; 

 Arizona, 20 feet. 



More evidence was obtained at the 

 Pennsylvania Experiment Station in 

 1908, both with reference to root dis- 

 tribution and the horizontal and verticle 

 in each of 28 apple trees. 





Variety 



Average 

 in 1908 



Root length 

 Peet 



Vertical range of feeding roots 



Expt. 



Range of depth 



observed 



inches 



Zone of maxi- 



mnm numbers 



inches 



216 



216 



217 



217 



217 



•Tonathan . . . 



9 



9 



15 



16 



16 



15 



13 



9 



13 



9 



6 



6 



6 



6 



10 



20 



36 



36 



36 



36 



8 



8 



6 



20 

 20 

 20 

 14 

 14 



13 5 

 11. 

 10 75 

 18 75 

 16 

 12.5 

 18 

 10 2 



5.75 

 15.25 

 10.5 

 11.25 

 11. 



9.75 

 27. 

 19.75 

 39. 

 30. 

 36.5 

 45.5 

 14. 

 13 5 

 14.6 

 21.5 

 27.75 

 36 6 

 28.25 

 25.75 



ltol2 

 ltol2 

 lto25 

 lto20 

 ItolS 

 lto24 

 lto33 

 lto26 

 lto24 

 ltol6 

 lto20 



1 to 19 

 ltol9 

 lto20 

 ltol8 

 lto24 



2 to 24 

 lto22 

 lto20 

 lto36 

 lto32 

 2 to 15 

 ltol8 

 lto42 

 0to20 

 0to21 



1.5 to 18 

 lto23 



2 to 7 



York Imperial 



York 



Gano 



York 



Gano 



1.5 to 7 

 2 to 17 

 2 to 8 

 2 to 10 



217 



2 to 16 



218 



Albemarle 



lto21 



218 



York 



4 to 15 



218 



Albemarle 



3 to 15 



218 



York 



5 to 12 



219 



Jonathan 



2 to 10 



219 



219 



York 



Jonathan 



2 to 11 



3 to 13 



219 



York 



5 to 15 



220 



220 



Baldwin 



York 



6 to 14 

 1 to 8 



221 



Baldwin 



5 to 14 



221 



Baldwin 



Northern Spy 



Northern Spy 



4 to 15 



221 



221 



3 to 12 



4 to 14 



336 ,... 



Grimes 



2 to 11 



336 



Smokehouse 



3 to 10 



336 



Stayman 



2 to 9 



338 



Baldwin. 



2 to 12 



338 



Baldwin 



Baldwin 



Baldwin 



3 to 10 



338 



339 



5 to 10 

 2 to 11 



339 



Fallawater 



2 to 11 









Averages 



(28 trees) 



15 



19.77 



1.7 to 22 16 



27. to 12.0 



It will be seen by this table that the 

 heaviest rooters are the Spy and the 

 Baldwin. It will also be noted that in 

 two varieties the feeding rootlets are, 

 some of them, at the surface not even 

 one inch below, and that no variety starts 

 its feeding rootlets more than two inches 

 below the surface, while most of them 

 start one inch below. It would seem from 

 this table that unless it is desired for 

 some reason to disturb the feeders, that 

 it is not best to cultivate more than one 

 inch in depth. 



See Deep Plowing, under Gultwation of 

 the Apple OreMrd, pp. 234, 236, 



Peach Boots 



In Ohio, the roots of the peach were 

 examined only to a depth of one foot; but 



it is stated that in all cases studied, the 

 feeding roots were removed from the first 

 six inches of soil. 



Depth of Eoots 



Corn roots have been known to pene- 

 trate the soil to a depth of four feet. 

 On drier and deeper soils they went as 

 deep as eight feet. Perennial grasses 

 have been known to go as far as four feet 

 the first year, and five and a half the next 

 year. Potatoes, 3 feet; sugar beets, 4 

 feet; alfalfa, from 30 to 50 feet; grape 



vines, 22 feet. ^ „, „ 



Dr. W. Freab, 



Colorado Agricultural College. 



Reduction of Waste in Marketing. 

 See p. 1327. 



RoxBURY Apple for Massachusetts. See 

 Mass. 



