SELECTING THE LAND TO BE PLANTED 171 



Much advice that cannot be justified has been given in the 

 past concerning slope or exposure. In nearly all fruit regions, 

 successful orchards may be found sloping toward any point 

 of the compass. If the section is subject to sudden and violent 

 winds, a slope that will afford some protection is desirable. 

 The influence of water on the climate disappears rapidly if the 

 land slopes away from the water. Shallow water has little 

 effect in any event. If winter injury is a factor, the slope 

 that in the local experience seems to give the greatest measure 

 of protection should be selected. 



South slopes tend to accelerate development of buds in the 

 spring; north slopes tend to retard it; east and west exposures 

 fall in between. 



(6) Consider the Type and Drainage of the Soil, The 

 soil must be well drained and provide extensive root range. 

 Fruit trees will thrive on a variety of soil types, but they 

 will not tolerate wetness, and if they are to be thrifty and 

 long of life, their roots must be able to penetrate the soil 

 thoroughly. Heavy clay subsoil or continuous rock ledges or 

 formations, near the surface and cutting off access to the soil 

 areas below, are serious handicaps. 



An occasional wet spot in an otherwise desirable field may 

 be tile drained. Entire orchards have been thus treated with 

 good results, but it would have been better business had they 

 been planted on land that did not need artificial drainage. 



A good upland corn soil has many of the characteristics of 

 a good fruit soil, except that trees must root more deeply 

 than corn. Peaches do best on the lighter types such as sandy 

 loams, shales, etc. Apples and pears succeed on the loams 

 containing appreciable quantities of clay and on all the 

 ranges between them and peach soils. 



As an indication of the influence of soils on the grade of 

 fruit produced, Table 32 gives the grading records for a 5-year 

 period from two Michigan apple orchards of the same varieties 

 and about the same age under the same management and with 

 the same treatment, but located on different soil types: 



