180 



ESTABLISHING THE ORCHARD 



may be of the same kind and variety as the permanent or it 

 may not. 



In sections where the peach may be grown commercially, 

 it has frequently been used for interplanting in the apple 

 orchard. However, sentiment against the plan, based on com- 

 mercial experience, is growing strongly. With increasing use 

 of sod culture for apples and better methods of fertilization, 

 pruning, and of borer control, all contributing to longer life, 

 the peach may best be planted alone. 



Sour cherries may be used as fillers. Pears, excepting of 

 the type of Kieffer, LeConte, or Garber, should not be in- 

 terplanted with apples because of the danger of fire blight, 

 difficult enough to control in some varieties of apples at best. 



If apple trees are planted at the maximum distances, there 

 are some apparent advantages in using the same variety as 

 filler. The first choice for a filler is a desirable variety of 

 apple that is a small grower and comes into bearing quickly. 



Fillers increase the diSiculty of cultivation, spraying, and 

 other orchard operations. The chief objection that may be 

 urged against them, however, is that they seldom are removed 

 before they have interfered with and retarded the develop- 

 ment of the permanent trees. This is a criticism of the grower 

 rather than the system, but the temptation to leave the filler 

 ^'just another year'' is very real and strong, a fact that may well 

 be faced at the outset. 



In general, if there is a profitable market for annual crops, 

 or a place for them in the system of farm management, and if 

 land is available at a reasonable figure, the orchardist may 

 well spread his trees over more acres, adopting an extensive 

 rather than intensive method of planting. 



Bush and small fruits, as grapes, currants, gooseberries, 

 and strawberries, are interplanted between trees in certain 

 sections, permitting high returns per acre and intensive use 

 of the land. The plan has its disadvantages, among which are 

 difficulty in spraying and other operations, and frequent over- 

 crowding and interference before the plantings are removed. 



