The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1912-01-04

] Lana SQOulQ not only Ue SeleCL1u
which will give good soil drainage, but
air drainage should also be taken into
! consideration. 1t is well 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 the 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 a 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-
lions existing there before selecting
his varieties. Varieties should be Sc.
lected so that the fruit viii reach a
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 a
stage that no planter can afford to
plant any fruit other than the com
mercial varieties, and the fewer num-
Der of varieties that are planted in
any one section, the better for the
grower when the fruit comes into
bearing, as too many varieties are
now raised on 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
such nursery stock, it is well to buy
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 Ia
planting is done. In buying trees for
fall planting, the planter should be
certain that the trees are well ma
tured before purchasing. In some
cases, the nurseryman will strip the
trees of their leaves before selling
them to the planter. Such trees are
worthless and should not be planted as
it is impossible to form 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 gen
eral rule, the apple trees are planted
from thirty to thirty-three feet apart.
This distance gives them ample room
to build up good root system, and
ample soil from which to feed upon.
In planting, the holes are dug about !
2x2. The first s 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 we'll packed in
around the roots, by using some blunt
instrument that will not bruise the
roots. AS soon as the top soil is
placed in the hole, quantity of wa
ter should be run in, and the trees
we'll settled by slightly pulling it up
and down while the water is sinking
away. As soon as this is done, the
sub-soil should then be added and well
tamped in. The hole should be well
filled and a dust mulch left on top.
Before the tree is planted, the roots
should receive some slight trimming,
cutting away any iTjured roots, or
any root that has abnormal growth,
and will not lay straight in the hole
when planted. The tree should be set
with the larger roots toward the pre-
vailing wind The top should also be
slightly leaned in this direction. In
this way, the tree will gain good root
system before it is bent over or
thrown out of line by the prevailing
winds. Another method used in some
Of the old established fruit sections
Of Idaho is the planting of corn every
third or fourth row in new orchards,
parallel to the prevailing winds. The
corn grows to a good height at an
early date in the spring, and furnish.
rs a good wind break. After the tree
has been planted, the top should be
tut back TO correspond with the root
system. The average height in cut
ing back a tree from four to six
-eet, is from twenty-four to thirty-s
inches The cutting back of smaller
rees should be at the same rate. This
,nara+ion ic yerv inOortant as it is