The Grit-advocate., 1903-11-13
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Orchard SubsoiE.


Prof. Z. W. Hilgard, Director OF the
California Experiment station, in his
last annual report, says:
Few persons outside OF the expert
ment station can have an idea of the
extent to which the planting OF or
chards on shallow soils underlaid by
hardpan or heavy clays has caused pc
cuniary loss, often almost ruin, to old
timers as well as to newcomers to
the state. Every few days there come
10 us at Berkeley letters transmitting
samples of tree-branches having the
dle-back.' and asking about the
means OF relief. We might usefully
stereotype the first letter in reply to
such inquiries, briefly to the effect:
Examine your subsoil!' In nine
cases out Of ten, it is either hardpan.
or an impervious clay substratum,
which defects the roots sideways after
the second or third year. and Of course
prevents healthy, normal develop
ment toward the moist depths Of the
soil, where abundant plant-food awaits
them In all good orchard lands More
rarely 1t is layer of coarse sand. or
gravel, which prevents the rise OF
moisture from below; sometimes it is
the rise OF the bottom water. which
causes disease of the deeper roots,
and also starves the tree. Almost in
Variably the question is asked: What
fertilizer must | apply to remedy the
trouble?' Well, in most cases no fer
tilizer Of any kind will remedy the
difficulty; the existence of which
should have been ascertained before
planting the orchard, or better be-
fore buying the land at all. Even
in the East and in Europe, careful
farmers scrutiniZe the subsoil before
investing. In the arid region this is
tenfold more needful, because of the
critical Importance of the subsoil,
overshadowing that of the surface soil,
as already explained The irrigator
who pays so dearly for his water is
doubly interested in it, and ought al
ways to know how long it takes water
to soak to certain depth in his land,
SO as to be sure that it does not run
of the surface of natural or artificial
hardpan, and flow to the neighbor be-
low, instead of soaking down.
This seems to be such elementary
common sense that it is difficult to un.
derstand how 1t is so widely neglected,
despite the warnings so emphatically
conveyed by experience, and published
by the experiment station for twenty
years past. No farmer should be with
out that simple and cheap, though
murderous-looking implement, the soil
prod, which is so readily used. 1t is a
steel rod three-siXteenths to one-fourth
inch square, well pointed at one end,
and provided at the other with stout
ring for wooden cross-handle, like
common auger. Length from four to
five feet, preferably the latter; cost,
seventy-five cents. This Is forced into
the ground with slight turning mo-
tion back and forth, hanging to it at
first II one is of low stature. The
farmer will be surprised at the new
information conveyed by this simple
process within the two or three min
utes it takes to make one sounding;
and If an.5 doubt remains at some
point, the common posthole auger may
be made to supplement the prod But
with little experience, the prod alone
will suffice to tell the farmer, by the
change in resistance, even how deep
the irrigation water has penetrated in
his land. And in many cases such
information will astound him by its
unexpectedness and make him under
stand why certain trees in his orchard
have done SO poorly, or so well.
However important is the presence
Of the plant-food ingredients in the
soil, the fundamentally needful point
is the proper physical condition, with
out which no amount of fertilization,
or natural productiveness. is of any
avail. All understand the need OF
moisture; but unless care is taken to
see that it gets where it will do the
most good, and that the roots can per-
form their functions in the depths Of
the soil, water, work. and fertilizers
may alike be wasted