Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1912-01-04
By JOHN U. MCPHERSON Idaho
State Horticultural Inspector.
Oregon Short Line Demonstration
Train Lecture


Train Lecture
In selecting land for an orchard site.
there are three things that should be
taken into consideration: 1.-THE lay of
the land. drainage. and depth of soil.
Land should not only be selected
which will give good soil drainage, but
air drainage should also be taken into
consideration. 1t is we'll known fact
that cold air always settles in low
places. and the planting of orchards in
such places should be avoided, mas
much as they are more susceptible
to frosts. 1t is also very important
that land selected for horticultural
purposes should be a deep and we'll
drained soil, so that at no time will
water be allowed to stand around the
trees, and .he soil should be of good
depth, so the trees will have ample
room to develop their root system.
The best results cannot be attained by
planting on shallow soil. Trees planted
on shallow soils are bound to be sur
face feeders and will not stand
drought, and will require more water
and more frequent irrigation than
trees planted ON deeper soil.
The varieties of apples to be planted
In any section should be governed a
great deal by the length of the grow
Ing season and the elevation at which
they are to be planted. Some sections
have longer growing season than
others, and in selecting commercial
varieties to be planted, the length of
the growing season should be taken
into consideration. The planter should
study his own locality, and the condi-
tons existing there before selecting
his varieties. Varieties should be Sc.
lected so that the fruit will reach
good size, and have good color and
texture in the given number of months
which will be the growing season in
that section. The growing OF fruit on
the western slope has reached such
stage that no planter can afford to
plant any fruit other than the COM
mercial varieties, and the lever num-
Der of varieties that are planted in
my one section, the better for the
bearing, as too many varieties are
now raised Oh the western slope which
have no commercial value and are not
of good keeping quality
There is a great deal of difference
In the opinions of various horticultur-
lists on the western slope as to the
age of trees used in planting, but the
best results have been attained by the
planting of one year old, well-devel-
oped trees. AS a general rule, stock
from four to six feet, with a good top
and root is used. and in purchasing
from some reliable nurseryman as
near home as possible. In this way,
the planter can see just what he is
buying. Spring planting is generally
practiced in Idaho although some fall
planting is done. In buying trees for
fall planting, the planter should be
certain that the trees are we'll ma
tured before purchasing In some
;ases, the nurseryman will strip the
rees of their leaves before selling
them to the planter. Such trees are
worthless and should not be planted as
1t is impossible to form a low-headed
tree from such stock.
The planting in the spring is begun
Just as soon as the spring freezes are
over, and the soil is dried out, SO that
it is mellow when handled. AS a gen
,ral rule, the apple trees are planted
rom thirty to thirty-three feet apart.
This distance gives them ample room
to build up a good root system, and
ample soil from which to feed upon.
In planting, the holes are dug about
2x2. The first to 10 inches of the
top soil is placed in one pile by itself
and the subsoil in another. The tree
is placed in the hole at about the
same depth, or possibly little deeper
than when it grew in the nursery
The top soil is then placed in the
hole first and is well packed in
around the roots, by using some blunt
instrument that will not bruise the
roots. AS socn as the top soil i:
placed in the hole, quantity of wa
ter should be run in, and the trees
well settled by slightly pulling it VI
and down while the water is sinkins
away. AS soon as this is done, the
sub-soil should then be added and vel
tamped in. The hole should be wei
filled and a dust mulch left on top
Before the tree is planted, the root!
should receive some slight trimming
cutting away any injured roots, o.
any root that has abnormal growth
and will not lay straight in the hol
when planted. The tree should be Sc
with the larger roots toward the pre-
yailing wind. The top should also b,
slightly leaned in this direction. II
this way, the tree will gain a good roo
system bsfore it is bent over o
thrown out of line by the prevailinl
winds. Another method used in som
Too Talkative