The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-08-02
HAS new METHOD
OF TREE PLANTING
A. w. Mcdonald of Toppenish
Devises Unique Plan With
Many Advantages

A. W. Mcdonald, president of the
Washington Nursery company of Top
penish, has devised an entirely new
system for planting trees, by which
the orchardist who is undecided ex-
actly what varieties he wishes. may re-
tain the ability to choose while his
trees are maturing.
TO quote from the Toppenish Re-
view: Mr.. McDonald's theory is that
the fruit industry will be benefited if
the growers are relieved of the neces-
sity of definitely fixing their varieties
at the time of planting. 1t takes a
number of years for the trees to reach
the bearing stage, and conditions may
change during that period in such a
way that the grower would be better
satisfied with varieties different from
those originally favored.
Mr.. Mcdonald proposes to meet
this situation by using a number cI
varieties and setting the young trees
out in such manner that the grower
will retain an option as to the final
make up of his orchard, which option
will extend throughout all the grow
ing wears until the trees reach the
bearing stage.
He plans to use four varieties in
each orchard, viz, Winesaps, Spite l.
bergs, Jonathans and Newtown Pip
pins. The trees are planted Is feet
apart in rows 80 feet apart and an
equal number of each variety is set
out Planted in the above manner
each acre will Ihave approximately
one hundred trees, double the NUN Der
niece ssary or desirable when the trees
reach maturity
During the first six or seven years
of the growth the land will easily
sustain 100 trees or more and at the
end of that period the grower is pre-
sumed to have reached a determine
ton as to the varieties he desires to
retain. In planting the trees the diff
ferent varieties are so distributed that
the grower may take his choice of any
one OF four different combinations Of
two each. and no matter which one
of the four he selects he is able 10
cut out the other varieties and still
leave a complete orchard with the
trees and rows at the uniform distance
of thirty feet apart.
Thus grower at the time he
plants his orchard may favor the
Winesaps and the Jonathans, but six
years from now conditions might be
such that the Winesap and Newtown
Pfppins would be a more profita Bile
combination. Under Mr.. McDonall's
method of planting this latter combi-
nation is open to him, as also two 9th
ers. In fact. if he so desires at the
abandon his first choice altogether
and have Spitzenbergs and Newtown
Plppins. All of this is accomplished
without in any way interfering with
the uniformity of the orchard
mo matter what combination is
selected. the remaining trees will be
equal in number for each variety.
and both rows of trees will be found
set at regular and equal dista noes
apart. In two of the possible com
binations the trees are left in SQUARES
and for the other two a diamond shape
formation is presented.
"Of course. Mr. Mcdonald has not
sat up nights working out this plan
for the sole benefit of the fruit grow
ers. He is in the business of selling
trees and he expects to make it a bust
ness proposition to the fruit men to
buy more trees in order to take adj
vantage of his new method of planting.
He figures that an extra expendi-
ture of ten dollars per acre at tree
planting time is the cheapest kind OF
insurance for the grower when bv in
vesting that amount he is enabled to
carry six year option on the varieties
of apples that he will leave in his
permanent orchard
he mas his plan worked out more
In detail than is described In this ar
tlcle and will be glad to furnish any
additional information to all who NAV
be interested