The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-10-31
Location for an Apple Orchard.


There Is no more frequent cause of
failure in apple orchards, than uncon
genial soil aud surroundings. The sup
position that any heavy and black soil
10 suitable for apple growing, simply
because it is rich, is erroneous. "My
soil is rich and rather loamy, and even
though it is low and rather cold, can
improve it by undertaking" said a
farmer who contemplated planting an
orchard. While | would not lessen
the faith in liberal understanding,
would nevertheless urge the Importance
of selecting for apple culture soils nat
urally well drained, in preference to
those artificially drained. 1t is rare, in.
deed, that an unguent aud cold soil is
mgde entirely suitable for apple grow.
ing by tilo draining.
have in mind two orchards upon
soils entirely opposite in their charac
ters. One is upon rich, warm gray
ell, with no hard subsoil within four or
five feet of the surface, the other upon
clay sub-soll. The former orchard
has never been drained it bears well
of choice fruit, is in good health, de-
mands little care, and has been for
some time the premium orchard in the
State in which it is situated. The lat
ter has had similar treatment as to pru-
ming and general cultivation, only more
diligently and vigorously applied, and
the varieties are nearly the same.
To this orchard has been giveh a
most thorough system Of underdraiu.
Neither time or expense have been
spared to relieve the soil of all unnec-
essary water iu the least possible time;
still this orchard is failure, its fruit is
not abundant dor of good quality, and
the trees are not vigorous. have
heard its manager remark, sit is impos-
sible to make good apple land out of a
low and cold SOIL" A positive poor
soil, if warm and naturally well drain
ed, is certainlo preferable to one of an
opposite character A poor soil can
be improved by manuriug.
Of course, an orchord on cald soil
is preferable to no orchard at all, but if
planted with an idea to profit, it will
likely be failure. Few farms lack
entirely any high grounds. A few
trees planted about on the knolls will
return more satisfaction than three
times the number on an uncongenial
soil. Good and naturally. well-drained
wheat land is usually good apple land.
A rich ground is especially desirable.
1t must not be supposed that apples are
to be expected to dwell ..on an unfertile
soil. An abundance of vegetable mat
ter in warm soil is always necessary
to apple culture. Lack of hardness,
late bearing, shy bearing, and poorly
favored fruit, are commonly the re-
suits of planting on low and wet
soil. i a..
Aside from perfect drainage and
warm soil, high lands present other ad-
,vantages to the apple grower. Cold
air is heavier than warm air, and it
settles into valleys and low places. A
difference of several degrees is often
apparent between the bottom of an Or
dinary ravine and the land adjacent.
We have all had experience to testify
to this atmospheric drainage while
travelling at night over hills.
Trees on eminences escape latef rosts,
and, if given some protection from
hard winds, endure the winter better
than similar varieties at low levels. The
Importance of atmospheric drainage to
the orchardist struck me forclbly when
once visiting in the mountains of Ver-
mont. A late frost had destroyed all
the apples in the valleys-had been so
severe, in fact, as to kill all the leaves
on the butternuts and walnuts. On
the higher hillsides and submits, how
ever, and especially where the confr-
nation of the hills allowed the air to
roll freely down their sides, the apples
were abundant and uninjured.-Farms
and Garden.