170 



ESTABLISHING THE ORCHARD 



(a) Consider the Elevation and Slope. Rolling land, or 

 up-land acres, or sloping lands not too steep for efficient 

 orchard practice are usually much better than level areas on 

 river bottoms or valley floors. There should be land levels 

 near by lower than that on which the fruit establishment is 

 located, in order to insure continuous air movement or drain- 



{Michigan Exp. Station) 



Fig. 62. A Michigan peach orchard in which fruit buds on trees in the 

 vicinity of X are frequently killed when those on trees about 0 at a 



greater elevation escape. 



age, through and away from the planting. Frost pockets and 

 attendant injury occur where the air is still, and fungus 

 diseases flourish where the foliage dries off slowly (see Fig. 

 62). On the level areas of the eastern shore in Maryland and 

 in Delaware a considerable fruit industry has developed, but 

 here all the land is on the same general level and across it 

 the sea and land breezes are frequently in motion. 



