AN ENGLISH FRUIT-FARM IN THE MAKING. 



487 



hold, and probably rightly, that this is questionable economy, since 

 fruit-bearing trees to be serviceable at all as a wind-break must be 

 grown under conditions which induce crops of fruit inferior in quality 

 and quantity, and, more important still, under conditions which are 

 propitious to insect and fungus pests. It is difficult to keep an orchard 

 clean if the wind-breaks and hedges are breeding-grounds for pests. 

 Such shelters must be sprayed as assiduously as the orchard itself, 

 and from the very nature of their growth to spray them effectively 

 is well-nigh impossible. In my opinion, the most serviceable wind- 

 screens are those of poplars (Black, or Lombardy poplar), planted in 

 double rows four feet apart diagonally, as screens on the east and west 

 of plantations of fruit ; and in three, or even four, rows along the 

 northern boundaries. These poplars are hardy in the extreme, will 

 grow almost anywhere and grow rapidly; are practically free from 

 pests injurious to fruit trees, are easily controlled, the ground can be 

 kept clean at their feet, and when planted as described, and headed 

 back at the required height, form a wind-screen, even and unbroken, of 

 a very effective kind. 



The questions of marketing facilities, accessibility, and the quality 

 of roads, the water supply, the suitability of existing buildings (if 

 any) to the purpose of fruit-farming need not be dwelt upon here, but 

 they all have an important bearing on the value of a site and a direct 

 relation to the capital cost of the undertaking. 



Having dwelt, perhaps at too great length, upon the importance 

 of careful examination into the good and bad points of the actual 

 site of the proposed fruit-farm, and taking it for granted that a 

 given site has successfully passed the test of that examination, it is 

 time to consider its soil. And the investigation into this great factor 

 to success — the suitability of the soil — cannot be too thorough. There 

 is but one way to discover the true character of soil — that is, to examine 

 it with the aid of a spade. Surface indications are very misleading, 

 and the history of farm lands as given by the farmer is not always 

 to be relied upon. The fruit-farmer needs to know intimately the 

 character of the soil he has to deal with — its qualities, chemical and 

 mechanical, its depth, and what it is on, the subsoil. All variations in 

 its qualities he must discover and allow for, and profit by his knowledge 

 of them when selecting the positions on the farm which will best suit 

 the various cultures he intends to undertake. 



Over a site of very limited area there may be considerable variation 

 both in surface-soils and subsoils, so that a perfunctory examination 

 may easily lead to subsequent surprises and disappointments. The 

 planter should know all about the soil of every acre to be planted; 

 therefore he must prospect with the spade to the extent of digging at 

 least one hole in each acre all over the site. In this way he will detect 

 any variations there may be in the character of top-soils or subsoils, 

 and arrive at a very accurate estimate of the average suitability of 

 the soil conditions of the site to his purposes. 



To define ideal soil conditions in this connexion is no easy matter; 



