90 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
ond, the conditions pertaining to the soil 
(its supply of available plant food, its phys- 
ical condition, its depth, its drainage fa- 
cilities and its general adaptability to 
apple growing). These matters should be 
considered, also, in respect to the adapta- 
bility of any particular field to the purpose 
intended. 
In Connecticut the fruit grower or 
prospective fruit grower may choose be- 
tween the improved land that may often 
be purchased for from $40 to $60 per 
acre, and the rough unimproved land at 
from $5 to $40 per acre. The higher priced 
land is often cheaper in the end, for the 
work of clearing in most cases is an ex- 
pensive and uncertain undertaking. The 
rough “sprout” land that is being used by 
some of the prominent fruit growers of the 
state has proved to be not only very dif- 
ficult to subdue, but very costly to man- 
age for a number of years. The extra 
expense in clearing and in subsequent 
tillage of such land may often greatly 
exceed the original saving in buying the 
lower-priced land. Inquiry from those 
who have had most experience reveals 
the fact that it is impossible to set any 
definite figure as to the probable cost of 
preparing rough land for fruit growing. * 
Subsoil 
The ideal soil for an apple orchard is 
probably a heavy sandy or gravelly loam 
with a gravelly subsoil. The character 
of the subsoil is probably of greater im- 
portance than the surface soil. A grav- 
elly subsoil insures better drainage and 
this is of the first importance, for an 
apple tree must have air around its roots 
as well as among its branches. The ap- 
ple will thrive well on the lighter soils, 
but such soils require more careful treat- 
ment to maintain the necessary supply 
of humus and plant food. Some careful 
growers prefer a sandy loam for apples, 
for they believe that it produces fruit of 
better color. While some soils are more 
suitable than others, almost any soil, if 
properly treated, will produce apples suc- 
cessfully. 
C. D. Jarvis, 
Storrs, Conn. 
* See Storrs’ Bulletin 61, 73, 19 “ 
of Clearing Rough Land. P. *0. "Cost 
Clay Loam 
Three chief factors enter into the ge. 
lection of the site for an orchard: Soil, 
elevation and exposure. Of these the soi] 
is most important for even though the 
elevation and exposure be perfect, if the 
soil is unfavorable, the orchard will be a 
failure. 
Clay loam soil is best for apple grow- 
ing. In the past the tendency has been 
to select rather heavy clay loam or clay 
soils for apple culture. Less heavy clay 
loams and even soils tending towards a 
gravelly nature seem to give better re. 
sults in Wisconsin. Heavy clays are 
much more difficult to handle, have a tend- 
ency to carry the wood growth too late 
into the summer, and do not give as good 
color to the fruit as do the somewhat 
lighter soils. Both late growth and low 
color are objectionable, and for these rea- 
sons heavy clays should be avoided where 
more suitable soils are available. It is 
not.to be understood that light or sandy 
soils are preferred for apple growing. 
Depth and Subsoil 
The depth of soil best suited for apple 
culture depends very largely upon the 
character of the subsoil. With a suitable 
subsoil very little surface soil is necessary 
for success. Good results are being ob- 
tained where there are but two or three 
feet of surface soil underlaid by a suitable 
subsoil. 
Limestone Subsoil 
Pervious limestone subsoil is preferred. 
This type of subsoil permits the roots to 
work deeply into it, producing trees with 
extensive root systems. The limestone 
also aids in the production of high color 
which is so essential in a good market 
fruit. It is at least partially due to this 
fact that the apples produced in the Door 
peninsula are so highly colored. A grav- 
elly subsoil would be second choice in se- 
lecting an orchard site. Impervious sub- 
soils are to be avoided, especially if they 
come close to the surface. Such a sub- 
soil hinders deep rooting and not infre- 
quently brings the water table so close to 
the surface that the root system is con- 
fined to a shallow layer just under the 
surface. An orchard planted on such a 
