1904.] Planting Fruit Trees and Bushes. 451 



are preferable to bush trees. On the other hand, bush trees on 

 the paradise stock come more quickly into bearing than half- 

 standards, which are usually on the crab or free stock. Again, 

 gooseberries or black currants become profitable much sooner 

 than apples, plums, or pears, and therefore they are most 

 commonly planted as bottom fruit. 



The distances desirable between trees and bushes vary with 

 the character of the soil, and, so far as trees are concerned y 

 with strength and habit of growth. But, if horse cultivation is to 

 be pursued, this may modify the decision as to distances. On 

 rich soil, full standards should not be less than 24 ft. apart each 

 way, whereas 20 ft. may do on poor land. Similarly, half- 

 standards may be 1 5 to 20 ft. apart, according to the character of 

 the soil and the varieties, while bush trees on the paradise stock 

 may be from 10 ft. to 12 ft. apart. The distances of the bottom 

 fruit bushes will be multiples of those of the trees. For example,, 

 if the trees are 18 ft. or 24 ft. apart, the bushes will be 6 ft. ; if the 

 former are 1 5 ft. or 20 ft. apart, the latter will be 5 ft. For horse 

 cultivation, however, 6 ft. from bush to bush or from bush to 

 tree is preferable to 5 ft. Some varieties of apples and plums 

 are much stronger growers or more spreading in habit of growth 

 than others, and modification of distances to suit these differences- 

 is possible without interfering with the multiple of 6 ft. from 

 bush to bush or from bush to tree. For example, if standards 

 or half-standards are planted 24 ft. apart in the rows, those of 

 strong growth or spreading habit may be the same distance 

 from row to row, while trees of weak growth or upright habit 

 may be only 18 ft. from row to row. In either case, the goose- 

 berries or currants will be 6 ft. from each other or from a tree. 



It is advisable, however, to refrain from planting trees of weak 

 growth altogether on poor soil, and in that case no modification 

 is desirable. In the case of planting bush trees, moreover, if 

 horse cultivation is to be pursued for a time, no modification 

 from the 12 ft. distance can be recommended, as 18 ft. would be 

 too wide in either direction. For horse cultivation it is of great 

 importance to have the rows of trees and bushes perfectly 

 straight in each direction and the distances precisely kept, in 

 order that the cultivation may be done across as well as up and 

 down. The best way to insure this result is to mark out the 



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