1910. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
102 3 
A LONG ISLAND APPLE ORCHARD. 
Modified Planting Plans. 
I expect to plant six acres to apples. Soil is heavy loam, 
three feet deep, with sandy subsoil, level, will grow large 
crops of potatoes, cauliflower, etc. I intend to grow 
fancy fruit and would like opinions as to apples which 
are likely to pay best by time orchard conies into bear¬ 
ing. What about the following varieties? McIntosh, 
Baldwin, It. I. Greening, Spy, Banana, Rome Beauty, 
Delicious, King David, Jonathan, Newtown, Oldenburg, 
Wagoner. Wealthy, Spitzenburg, Stayman, Grimes, Senator. 
How many varieties for permanent and how many for 
fillers? I plan to plant one-year trees, permanents 40 
feet apart diagonally and fillers as shown by this dia¬ 
gram. Orchard will be almost square: distance between 
rows lengthwise 11 feet, crosswise 20 feet, and di¬ 
agonally both ways 19 feet: between trees 23 feet. 
When fillers are taken out it will leave permanent rows 
34 feet apart lengthwise, 20 feet crosswise and 40 feet 
between trees; can cultivate four ways if desired. The 
Spy, McIntosh, Baldwin, R. I. Greening. Jonathan. Ba¬ 
nana, Newtown, Oldenburg, Wagener, Spitzenburg and 
Grimes do well here, and I think the others would also. 
I am inclined to McIntosh for a good share of perma¬ 
nents and also fillers. Is it likely to be as much in 
demand as other varieties? How about Delicious and 
King David? We are about half a day from New Turk 
City by direct freight, and can ship to New England via 
New London. We have a good home market. I expect 
to sow Crimson clover and plant this Fall. How is 
ground plowed and worked near trees, roots not dis- 
turbed, and kept level, with no strips of sod in rows, 
unless plowed both ways and hand work around trees.' 
This for an orchard of large trees. How is ground 
worked most economically with low-headed trees? How 
high should trees be headed? I have had good success 
with apples and we can grow fine fruit if taken care 
of as we have a fine climate with lots of sunshine. 1 
have some Kieffers planted one year, and am wondering 
if it would pav to work them over to something better. 
They sell well in the local market. How about * ounce i 
Suffolk Co., N. Y. K - B - 
The plan outlined is the regular hexagonal or tri¬ 
angular one, which is made up of a system of equi¬ 
angular triangles. The permanent trees are to be 40 
feet apart and the fillers 23 feet. This is all very good, 
and the trees cover the ground more perfectly than 
can be done by any other plan that 1 have ever known. 
I used it in the first orchard that I planted for myself, 
and have seen others do the same. But I know a plan 
that I think is considerably better. It is one by which 
the trees are set in perfect squares, and 
includes the use of fillers that may be 
taken out at two stages of the growth 
of the orchard, leaving the trees equally 
distant each time. This cannot be done 
by the hexagonal plan, for the trees are 
so placed that all the fillers must be 
taken out at one thinning, unless some 
rows are left as close as they were in 
the original planting. 
As to the distance apart, the plan sug¬ 
gested by the inquirer is to have the trees 
23 feet at first and 40 feet when thinned 
out to a permanent stand. This is very 
good, and in most places and with the 
majority of varieties will be far enough 
apart for good bearing of both the fillers 
and permanent trees. But I like 25 feet 
better, because my observation of very 
many orchards in all sections of the 
country has convinced me that the trees 
need it for proper development of their 
fruit and to allow them to live out their 
proper age of usefulness. If they are too 
close they will not be able to do either, 
as we all know. I used to think that 20 
feet apart was wide enough for the fillers 
and 40 feet for the permanent trees, but 
careful study of the actual working out 
of many plans tested by time has led me 
to widen the distances between the trees, except where 
they soon pass away, as is the case in some of the 
Central States. I have seen many apple and cherry 
trees that were crowding each other at 40 feet apart, 
and their age of usefulness had not come to an end. 
Fruit trees should have light between them to the end 
PFPFPFPFP 
FFFFFFFFF 
First stage, 25 feet apart. 
PFPFPFPFP 
FFFFFFFFF 
P P P P P 
F F F F 
Second stage. 
P P P P P 
F F F F 
P P P P P 
Third stage. 
P P P P P 
ot their existence, that their foliage and fruit may de¬ 
velop properly, and without it they cannot do it. It is 
a cruel outrage on the trees and a financial mistake 
to the grower to crowd orchard trees as is done in 
very many cases. This is especially true in old or¬ 
chards. Old trees, like old people, need the best of 
everything, and they deserve it. Their maturer years 
are often their most useful ones, in both cases. 
To go more into details in the matter of orchard 
plans it may be well so to describe the plan that I have 
decided on and used for many years past. A diagram 
will show it better than many words, although some 
explanations are necessary; P means permanent, F filler: 
By this diagram the three stages may be seen. In 
the first one the trees stand 25 feet apart and will have 
room for good bearing up to 15 or 20 years from plant¬ 
ing. By cutting out the rows of fillers diagonally 
when crowding is approaching it may be averted and 
one-third of them left to serve about 10 years longer. 
NEW SEEDING PEACH-Skk Ritualisms. Fig. 438. 
When the remaining fillers have lived out their useful¬ 
ness they can be removed and the entire space be given 
up to the permanent trees. This gradual thinning will 
then fully occupy the ground from the earliest time 
that apple trees will begin to bear until the limit of 
their endurance is reached. 
Regarding varieties there is danger of having too 
many in a commercial orchard. However, as the pro¬ 
posed orchard is to be planted where there is a good 
local market there is less danger than if all the apples 
had to be shipped away. Northern Spy, Baldwin, Rhode 
Island Greening, Spitzenburg, Newtown and Mc¬ 
Intosh are all good for the permanent trees. Wagener, 
Wealthy and Oldenburg are especially suitable for 
fillers. Grimes and Jonathan are of highest quality 
and will serve in either capacity. Of Rome Beauty and 
Stayman I am doubtful in that region. King David 
and Delicious are new kinds of the highest character, 
but they have not been tested sufficiently in that region 
to warrant positive recommendation for general plant¬ 
ing, but I believe they will win such a place in due 
time. Of Senator I am more doubtful. All of them 
are worthy of trial. 
In regard to handling the ground, plowing shallow 
in early Spring and following all Summer with wide 
spreading extension orchard harrows and cultivators 
is the plan I would recommend. There will be needed 
some hard work about the trees, but not much if the 
horse tools are well used. The trees should be headed 
about ?. l / 2 feet high. Crimson clover is a good crop 
to sow in late Summer and plow under in the Spring 
time. Ivieffer pear trees are not good stocks for the 
better varieties, and it would not be well to graft them 
over. As they sell well in the local market, why at¬ 
tempt to change them. H. E. van deman. 
LITTLE ALFALFA SERMONS. 
A Success in Michigan. 
I had my first attack of Alfalfa fever about four 
years ago, caused in part through reading The R. 
N.-Y., and also learning through friends of its won¬ 
derful success in the West. As ours is a small fruit 
farm making hay is not in my line; still I was anxious 
to know whether or not it would grow here, so three 
years ago I sowed a part of an acre, following with 
some care the instructions of Prof. Cottrell, as given 
in The R. N.-Y. about that time. First the land was 
plowed in the Spring and kept clean by frequent cul¬ 
tivation until the first of August. Then I applied air- 
slaked lime, rate 1,000 pounds per acre, some ashes 
we had saved up, and some Sweet clover soil from 
the roadside. After applying the above the ground 
was thoroughly and deeply harrowed with spring-tooth, 
seed sown at the rate of 24 pounds per acre, and 
worked in with weeder. The weather being favorable, 
the seed came up in a few days and with it millions 
of weeds, the seeds of which had no doubt been 
brought to the surface by my deep harrowing. Think¬ 
ing that the weeds would surely kill out the Alfalfa I 
determined not to be beaten out by them, so hired 
several German women, and on our knees we went for 
those weeds, and soon the Alfalfa had the right of 
way. In about six weeks I was able to exhibit Alfalfa 
1C inches long at our fair. The following Summer 
and each year since I have cut hay about as follows: 
Early in June about two tons per acre; four or five 
weeks later, about one ton per acre; latter part of Sep¬ 
tember or early in October, one ton per acre. While 
I would not advise indifferent methods I feel now that 
I have been to unnecessary pains and expense. I be¬ 
lieve in this vicinity Alfalfa is just as certain to 
catch as clover, and more certain to live when once 
started. A neighbor has sown at two different times 
in the Spring without lime, ashes or any attempt at 
inoculation and each time secured a good stand. 
Our town authorities wanting earth for filling, pur¬ 
chased a block and stripped the earth from three to 
eight feet, then sowed Alfalfa on pure sand and got 
a magnificent stand. While it would not do to ex¬ 
pect a large crop, I believe it would be the most profit¬ 
able crop that can be grown on the sand 
dunes common in Michigan. Among the 
disadvantages of Alfalfa growing I 
might say that it will probably not main¬ 
tain itself against the grasses indigenous 
to the country, Blue grass in some sec¬ 
tions, June grass with us. My little 
strip is well covered with June grass 
now. If it gets too bad I shall sow a 
new piece and raise a bumper crop of 
melons on that sod. Then the hay is too 
laxative for horses; I find it necessary 
to feed Timothy or corn fodder with it. 
Perhaps the greatest drawback to ex¬ 
tensive growing here is that it would be 
almost impossible to cure the last crop 
owing to short days and cool damp 
nights. Perhaps it could be cut and put 
into s’lo, but of this “deponent saith 
not.” L. w. RUTH. 
Berrien Co., Mich. 
APPLE TREES AND POTATOES. 
I send you a picture of part of my 
apple orchard. The tree shown is one 
of 110 apple trees planted three years 
ago. I think they make a remarkable 
showing. The crop growing is buck¬ 
wheat. In the fore part of the season 
early potatoes were grown. They were 
dug the latter part of August, and buckwheat was sown 
for a bee pasture; also for a Winter cover two pounds 
of Dwarf Essex rape seed was sown with the buck¬ 
wheat. The ground was heavily fertilized for the po¬ 
tato crop. U. B. HUBER. 
Lancaster Co., Pa. 
R. N.-Y.—The tree is shown at Fig. 439. It has 
made good growth and this was to be expected from 
the treatment given. The heavy dressing of fertilizer 
used on the potatoes provided enough for that crop 
and the trees. The thorough culture which the pota¬ 
toes received forced the trees into fine growth. Then 
when the potatoes were dug the buckwheat and rape 
came in and the trees stopped growing and ripened 
their wood. The buckwheat and rape prevent loss of 
nitrates from the soil, and provide a mass of organic 
matter to be plowed under. This is good treatment, 
based on the true theory of fruit growing. Late pota¬ 
toes would not do so well. With them the culture 
would be kept up later and digging would work the 
soil so as to force the trees into a late growth which 
might be hurt by freezing. Early potatoes are out of 
the way in time to prevent this late growth. 
Has any man ever fought the onion maggot success¬ 
fully in a large Held? 
A THREE-YEAR-OLD APPLE TREE IN BUCKWHEAT Fig. 439. 
