The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1910-10-05
SOL S FOR ORCHARD
Careful Preparation Should Be
Made Before Planting Trees.
On New Land Flowing Should Be
From Six to Twelve or Fourteen
Inches Deep and Graded for
Distribution Of Water.

tBy r.. w FISHER. Horticulturist. Mon
tana Agricultural College Experiment
Station.)
The soil on which fruit plants are to
be set out should be given very care
ful preparation before any are planted.
On new land this preparation consists
In blowing the soil from six to twelve
or fourteen inches deep. carefully
grading so that water can be distrib-
uted in burrows from one end OF the
field to the other, and then growing a
crop of clover, alfalfa, peas or some
cereal for one or two years in order
that the soil can be pulverized and
opened up to the action of the air and
to supply humus. A method that is
practised with success is to pillow the
land deep in the fall. and grade 1t.
In the spring following. oats and red
clover are.planted. The oats are har-
vested the following fall and the next
year one crop of clover hay can be
cut and the second crop plowed under
as green manure. In the spring of
the third year the soil should be in
excellent condition for fruit trees. In
cases where the farmer does not de-
sire to wait so long before planting
trees they can be set in the spring of
the second year following a crop of
oats and clover or potatoes, or some
intertilled crop may be grown instead.
On soils in which there is found a
large amount of humus it may not be
necessary to grow an annual crop
previous to planting the trees As a
general rule. however. much better re-
suits will follow from the growing of
some crop on the land before fruit
trees are set out. On land that is to
be irrigated the surface should be lev
eled and graded so that water will
run through small burrows from one
end of the field to the other without
flooding the ground. On soils that are
very uneven on the surface a grader
will prove efficient In smoothing It,
This grader will take the soil from
the high places and deposit In the
depressions. ON very uneven surfaces
where considerable soil has to be
moved a slip scraper. Stuart grader
or other specially made instrument
may prove better adapted to the
work After the grading is done the
soil should be thoroughly cultivated
with either a disk harrow, n spring
tooth or spike tooth harrow, depend
ing upon the character and condition
of the soil. On land that is irrigated
1t Is desirable to run a grader over
after each blowing In order to smooth
down the surface SO that water can
be easily distributed.
At planting time trees are taken
from this trench. few at a time and
set in the field. but at no time should
the roots be exposed to the direct rays
OF the sun. They can be protected in
/. the field while planting by throwing
wet sack or cloth over the roots.
In the fruit-growing valleys many
different soil and climatic conditions
exist. and II follows that different va
rieties will prove successful. In sew
eral of the fruit valleys trees have not
been grown for a long enough period
to determine with any degree of GER
tainty the varieties that will prove
most profitable. For the higher alti.
tudes and colder parts OF the state the
varieties have been determined. A
different selection of varieties would
necessarily be made II the fruits are
grown for commercial purposes than
II grown only for home use. In grow
ing fruits for home consumption the
grower can choose with more regard
for his own personal tastes, while
commercial varieties demand that they
be suited for shipping and to meet the
demands Of fruit buyers.