26 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
Following definitely the classification standards of the 
Bureau of Soils of the United States Department of Agri¬ 
culture, with reference to the proportions of clay, silt, and 
sands, this grouping would include the medium to light 
loams, the heavy sandy loams, and also the medium sandy 
loams provided they were underlain by soil material not 
lighter than a medium loam nor heavier than a light or 
medium clay loam of friable structure. The ideal to be 
sought is a heavy, fine sandy loam or a light mellow loam 
underlain by plastic light clay loam or heavy silty loam. 
Such soil will dry quickly after a rain, and would not be 
classed as a moist soil. It will never clod if worked under 
conditions at all favorable. The subsoil should never be 
heavy enough to impede ready drainage of excess moisture, 
yet sufficiently clayey to retain a good moisture supply; 
that is, it should be plastic not stiff. 
If com be grown on the ideal Baldwin soil the lower 
leaves will cure down before cutting time, giving evidence 
of moderately early maturity. This is one of the safe 
criteria by which to be guided in choosing soil for this 
variety. 
Mention was not made of the color of the soil in the 
above description. The desirability of a surface soil of 
dark brown, the color being due to the presence of decayed 
organic matter, is unquestionable and generally recognized; 
and if the soil be not that color the successful orchardist will 
so make it by the incorporation of vegetable matter through 
the growth of leguminous crops, or otherwise. It is often 
cheaper to buy soil with a good organic content than it is to 
put it there after purchase. Hence this is purely an 
economic feature. 
The warning should be stated, however, that a good soil 
should not be purchased or planted to apples of any variety 
because it is dark colored and rich in decayed vegetable 
matter. The soil should be selected because of its textural 
and structural adaptation regardless of the organic content ;• 
then if such soils are well supplied with humus, so much the 
better; if not, it may be supplied. The soil texture cannot 
be changed. 
Rhode Island 
The soils adapted to this variety are very distinct from 
the Baldwin standard. In fact, these two varieties, con¬ 
sidered as standards, differ so markedly in soil requirements 
that the soil adaptations of other varieties may be profitably 
compared with either the Baldwin or the Rhode Island 
Greening soil standard. A surface soil of heavy silty loam, 
or light silty clay loam underlain by silty clay loam excels 
for the Rhode Island Greening. Such soil will retain suffi¬ 
cient moisture to be classed as a moist soil, yet it is not so 
heavy as ever to be ill-drained, if surface drainage is ade¬ 
quate. It should be moist, but not wet. The soil should 
be moderately rich in organic matter, decidedly more so 
than for the Baldwin. In contrast to the Baldwin soil in 
the growth of corn, it should keep the lower leaves of the 
plant green until harvesting time, or at least until late in the 
season. Such soil conditions maintain a long seasonal 
growth under uniform conditions of moisture, and thus 
produce the firm yet crisp texture, the remarkable juici¬ 
ness, and the high flavor for which this variety is noted 
when at its best. If grown on a sandy soil the Greening 
lacks fineness of grain, flavor, and the juicy quality, in 
greater or lesser degree, depending on the extent of the 
departure from those soil characteristics which contribute 
to its best production. 
The Greening is also more restricted in area than the . 
Baldwin, not adapting itself to the climatic conditions south 
of the Baldwin district, even though suitable soils occur 
there. In fact, its southern boundary may be roughly 
estimated as the forty-first parallel. South of that it 
becomes a fall apple and keeps very poorly. 
Hubbardston 
Compared with the Baldwin soil requirements, the 
heaviest soils desirable for the Hubbardston lap over for a 
little upon the lightest .soils desirable for the Baldwin, 
while at the other extreme the Hubbardston will utilize the 
most sandy soil of any of the varieties adapted to the 
region north of Pennsylvania. In that state, especially 
in the eastern part, the Smokehouse is similar in soil 
adaptation. 
The above soil description for the Hubbardston does not 
mean that that variety will succeed on poor light sands, for 
on such soils the apple will not attain sufficient size to be of 
value, but the soil should always be very mellow. A rich, 
fine, sandy loam to a depth of at least a foot is preferable, 
and the subsoil may well be of the same texture. A sub¬ 
soil containing enough clay to make the fine sandy material 
somewhat coherent, or sticky, is excellent; but there should 
never be enough clay present to render the subsoil heavy. 
If the soil is too heavy or too clayey the fruit is liable to 
have greasy skins, the color is deficient, and the flavor in¬ 
sufficiently developed. In common phraseology the soil 
should be such as to respond quickly to fertilizers, not the 
earliest soil, but one moderately early. The Hubbardston 
requires good air drainage and local elevation, and therefore 
should be grown on hills and slopes, or high bench land. 
Northern Spy 
This variety is one of the most exacting in soil require¬ 
ments. To obtain good quality of fruit, i. e., fine grain and 
juiciness together with high flavor, the soil must be moder¬ 
ately heavy, and for the first two qualities alone the Rhode 
Island Greening soil would be admirable. The fact that 
the Spy is a red apple, however, makes it imperative that 
the color be well developed and the skin free from the 
greasy tendency. This necessitates a fine adjustment of 
soil conditions, for the heaviest of the soils adapted to the 
Rhode Island Greening produce Northern Spies with greasy 
skins, and it is also extremely difficult to get a good color 
upon them. The habit of tree growth of this variety, 
moreover, is such as to require careful attention. Its 
tendency to upright growth seems to be accentuated by too 
clayey soils, if well enriched, and such soils tend to promote 
growth faster than the tree is able to mature well. On the 
other hand, sandy soils, while producing good color and 
clear skin, fail to bring fruit satisfactory in quality with 
respect to texture and flavor. Hence the soil requirements 
