The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-10-09

Soil, Location and varieties-Necss
sity Of sheiter--Give the Trees
Plenty Of Room-Points on
Prunlnu-Spray Often.

rHst among the 6ss6nlihLS Vi e00-
cess in commercial apple growing u
that the soil must be adapted to the
business and that very good and very
poor locations may lie side by stds
Nearly every farm contains some
land that is adapted TO apple grove
ing, although very few farms as .
whole would prove adapted to the tn
dustry, Soil and Locations are fuzzy as
important factors as the climate. A
careful study OF the conditions snr-
rounding the orchards that we're
planted in the early times has proved
TO US that in selecting an orchard site
the most important things TO eoHsid-
er are the character of the soil. ex.
posure and shelter. says a writer in
tho Country Gentleman, Good. deep
soil. composed largely of vegetable
matter, with sand and gravel or clay,
is ideal. The scarcity of timber tina.
formerly afforded windbreaks makes
II essential that We select northeast
ern, northern or eastern exposures or
slopes for an orchard. On land that
affords a natural windbreak. or
where there is no protection from
understand or groves, a double row
of svergreens may be used to adyant-
age as wind-break.
After determining on the site OF
the proposed orchard, the next imper-
tant step is that OF properly prepar-
ing the soil, The old saying that The
hole should be the same size as the
orchard" is a safe rule to follow and
means literally that We should care
fully fit the field at least one year
before the trees are to be planted. II
is a loss of time and money to plant
trees on wet and undrainei soil. We
have also learned that the selection
of the varieties best adapted to our
conditions in great measure means
success or failure. The desire 20
plant too many varieties Of apples has
resulted In flooding our orchards with
undesirable fruit, in many instances
without regard to market, demands,
quality or profit The most profitable
commercial orchards In New, York
state are those containing from one to
three varieties. Planting a few choice
varieties for home consumption o.
for home markets is different pro-
position from commercial apple grow
Ing,
For commercial orchard In this
latitude there are three market ap-
pies that stand In a class by them
selves, the Baldwin, Northern Spy
and Creening- all great market ia
vurites that possess good keeping
qualities The 20-ounce Pippin and
the Tompltin's County Kings are ex-
K cellent fall and early winter apples,
but they must be marketed. in their
season regardless Of the marEet con
ditions. Hardy varieties must be Sc
lected regardless OF their beauty of
form or quality. 1t is matter of
/ cold dollars and cents aad not of sen
[ t!ment. Select the best trees that
can be found, and above all. select
them from the stock OF some first
class nurseryman who sells good trees
instead of making panic prices to get
rid Of u lot OF old stock that has ac-
cumulated on his hands.
In setting out the trees, give them
plenty OF room. | would set apple
trees A. feet each way at least. If
yog ieei that you cannot afford to use
SO much land, plan TO grow some
small fruit between the apple trees,
and by the time the apples are ready
to occupy the interspaess the small
fruit trees may be removed and give
them the whole OF the field. We may
be able to grow corn stalks and trees
by close planting, but whan 1t comes
to growing tirst-ciass crops Of cora
and apples we shall find that 1t is
essential that the stalks and trees
have plenty Of light, air and feeding
space for their roots | believe that
there is but one way for trees to grow
to insure the greatest hardness The
practice Of low heading may be adap
ted to some sections of the west
where the climatic conditions are not
the name as in this state.
While advocating pruning trees
higher than is the practice OF many,
| am by no means in favor OF high
training The branches should afford
protection TO the trunks during the
hot summer after the trees come in
to bearing. My ideal tree is trained
high enough to secure the growth oil
the branches at right angie with the
trunk, otherwise they will form what
has been aptly termed uniformed
crotches, by the tendency of the low
or branches to an upright growth.
Every tree should have center shaft
ON which the branches should be
regularly distributed. never allowing
number Of branches to cluster to-
gether on any one side to oyerbalance
the top OF the tree, Pruning Ia Q
necessary evil and more Of 1t should
be done. Summer pruning has ten
dency To check the growth of tho
wood, and In some instances Is injur-
ious to the tree.
Spray by all means and spray often.