Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-11-29
Location or Orchards.

Location OF Orchards.
d. S. Marvin, WATERFOWL N. Y, in Scientific
Farmer.
The subject of the proper location of
orchards has seldom received the inves-
tigation and consideration that its i'm
portance demands. The usual practice
has been to plant in sheltered valley,
or near the house, for convenience of
access, or where it might be overlooked
to prevent the depredations of maraud-
ers; certainly, from these or other reas-
ons, too many orchards are found upon
low grounds that are ill-adapted to this
use; and, when failures resulted, blame
was laid upon the soil, the climate, etc.
| when the true cause was a faulty location
that upon most farms could have been
remedied. While the soil, its condition
and constituent elements, and numer
Gus other topics, are important subjects
for inquiry, we must defer considering
them until a proper location has re-
ceived attention.
Temperature has very important
bearings upon final success; the differ
ence between situation at the foot of
a hill. ridge, or knoll, and that of the sum-
NIT, often but few rods, distant, is
very surprising. How many men,
contemplating the matter, have actually
carried a thermometer and measured
Systematically the difference. While
the noon-day temperature is to be con
sidered, at all seasons of the year, as
pertaining the night temperature is of
greater Importance, especially in spring,
when there is liability of frost; fifteen
degrees or more is often found within
localities but few rods distant And
it is just this difference of the temper
aturc between the foot and summit of a
hill, that brings disaster at the foot,
and gives success at the top; or, it is
more the night temperature that must
dominate the choice of a location, than
that of the day; in other words, it is
the absence of sudden changes that will
give success, and their presence cause
disaster. These facts and their bear
ings must, therefore, be the more close
ly studied: such as the fact, that warm
sheltered aspects greatly favor insect
depredatOrs, or cause fruit to drop pre-
maturely, or ripen and decay before the
picking season arrives.
The matter is very easily ascertained,
and can be done by any one. All there
is to do, is to carry good thermometer,
at MONDAY, at ten clock in the even
ing, and at daylight in the morning, to
the foot of the rising ground, ascertain
ing the temperature, and then going to
the top and measuring again; few
minutes must be allowed for the mercu-
ry to be acted upon by the air. The
day temperature in valleys is usually
too high, starts growth too early, and
injury results; when if the orchard
were higher, and growth retarded, the
trees would go through blossoming and
setting fruit safely; Even q soptherly
slope on IA hill is sometimes
Objectionable for the same reas-
ons, and a northerly one to be pre-
ferred We take quite too many of our
ideas and practices from inherited Eng
fish experiences In Great Britain the
climatic conditions are very different.
There is generally an insufficiency of
heat there to properly mature fruit.
1t is pale, lacking in flavor and color,
while we have too much heat. Our
fierce, scorching summer climate needs
counteracting. There may be local eX-
ceptions to such general rules in so ex-
tensive country as ours. Actually
measuring the temperature as suggest
ed will show such exceptions, and
where existing they will be found most
ly in high ATTITUDES; as high as the
forty fourth parallel, the writer has
found 10 such exceptions. Three
months of tropical weather natures
figs, grapes, and other tropical and
semi tropical fruits, in such degree of
perfection that the highest premi-
ums have been awarded at
Cincinnati, to grapes grown upon
such parallel The reason for this con-
dition of things is explained by the fact,
that the air is found to assume strait
fed condition during frosty nights,
when undisturbed by wind. The cold
air falling, because of its greater weight,
into, and occupying, the valleys and
lowlands, the warmer air, being displac-
cd, rises aud covers the hills. So exact
are the lines of demarcation, that row
of grapevines standing in dead furrow
depression has been frozen, while adjoin-
ing rows escaped. The danger from low
temperature would be less if it happen
after fruit is set; but when frost occurs
while the trees are in blossom, those
delicate organs, the stamens and pistils,
are destroyed, or weakened so much as
to be unable to carry on their natural
functions. When orchards are located
upon low grounds, it often happens
that frost does occur at this critical
period; being stimulated into too early
blossoming by the increased heat of the
day temperature of valleys.
The remedy suggested above for these
evils is simply and plain can be carried
into effect by all intending to set out
orchards, and it will be applied science
in agriculture. Guess work hereafter,
should be at discount. Farmers can
no longer live by guess-work. They
must learn to be as accurate and precise
in their methods as artisans and business
men, and pay more attention especially
to what transpires during night, to the
effects of sudden transitions Of moisture,
and temperature, and darkness, the
depredations of nocturnal insects, etc.
These will lead on to another very i'm
portant study to the farmer, the
disastrous effect Of sporadic diseases,
not only in the orchard, but more or less
to all his crops We know that cryptic
gamic plants are favored by heat and
moisture; that they abound in low, damp
localities, and prey upon our useful
phonogamics, first enfeebling, then des
stroying; while upon higher grounds
their i'll effects are greatly lessened
Not only the farmers property is en-
dangered, but health and life itself
The yellow fever, now so terribly de-
vastating the South, is caused by an
other class of these same vegetable
.,Aa.o, rTL;c mart innlnr ono has itS