The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-07
Orchard Drainage,

Very few kinds of trees succeed in w ct
land, says tina Drainage journal. The
water willow, water elm and a few kinds
of timber are known as water loving and
grow in, or near the water. and are
adopted to such conditions. But fruit
trees do not succeed in wet land.
A soil too wet to grow farm crops
every season is too wet for an orchard
plat. A soil which is not readily re-
ieved Of its excess of water after the
frost is out of the ground is too wet for
an orchard-the land needs draining.
All clay soil underlaid with clay will be
better for orchards, if well underdrained.
Observation has taught US that orchards
growing on ground which has been
thoroughly underdrained, are affected
very little by long continued wet
weather or drOughts. Drougnts have
done great damage TO the fruit interests
of this and other states. The drought of
1881 was particularly one doing great
damage to apple trees throughout the
state. The drought was so severe as to
cause most of the leaves to fall, both of
fruit and forest trees, before the rain
came, Sept. 10. After that timethe rains
were frequent and the weather warm,
fruit and other trees, put forth new
leaves and the fruit trees in some in
stances, blossomed, They made second
growth and were full of sap when the
hard freeze came in November. The
trees were so sappy and tender they
were badly injured so badly that during
the following year and the next, many of
them, fully half of the apple trees, in Cen
trial Indiana, died-with the notable eX-
ceptiOn of orchards on underdrained land
One orchard in our knowledge, which had
been thoroughly underdrained, was not
affected so far as could be seen. The
trees did not make the second growth,
for the reason that they had not dropped
their leaves when the rain came, had not
been affected seriously by the drough5h
They matured but the one growth for the
season, and in due time shed their leaves
ready for the winter. The same was true
OF other orchards, which were naturally
or artihcially underdrained, excepting
however, orchards on shallow soils I'M
derlaid at depth of two feet or less
with gravel-they suffered badly. But
orchards on clay soils sufficiently under
drained were injured and ii well cared
tor are in healthy condition today
We conclude that all orchards having
clay soils, whether rolling or level, should
be thoroughly tile drained to insure sue
cess in fruit growing. Each plat should
have a system of tile drains suited TO the
lay of the land. The tile should be laid
from three and one-half to four feet deep
between the rows of the trees, midway
between and at the depth named, and the
sizes of tile much larger than would be
necessary otherwise, to avoid trouble
from roots growing into the tile. Extra
ordinary care should be had in laying the
tile regular grade. A depression in the
dram will lie filled with a deposit Of silt,
and roots entering the tile will md earth
to take hold and will eventually give
trouble. The depth Of the drains recon-
mended will give TO the roots of the trees
greater depth, larger feeding ground, and
better conditions for uniform growth
without injury from the weather, wet or
dry.