The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1912-01-12
PLANTING AND CARE OF OR.
CHARDS UP TO TIME OF
BEARING
BY John U. MCPHERSON, Idaho state
horticultural inspector.

1DLf1xt1(Nu
BY John U. Mcpherson, Idaho state
horticultural inspector.
In selecting land for an orchard
site, there are three things that
should be taken into consideration
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 be
taken into consideration. 1t is a well
known fact that cold air always set
ties in low places, and the planting
of orchards in such places should be
avoided, inasmuch as they are more
susceptible to frosts. 1t is also
very important that land selected
for horticultural purposes should be
a deep and well-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 obtained by planting on
shallow soil. Trees planted on shall
low soils are bound to be surface
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 plant
ed in any section should be governed
a great deal by the length of the
growing season and the elevation at
which they are to be planted. Some
sections have a longer growing sea-
sen 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 To-
cality, and the conditions existing
there before selecting his varieties.
Varieties should be selected so that
the fruit will 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 horticul-
t~urists, 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, we'll
developed trees. As a general rule,
stock from four to six feet, with a
good top and root is used, and in pur-
chasing such nursery stock, 1t is well
to buy from some reliable nursery
man as near home as possible. In
this way, the planter can see just
what he is buying. Spring planting
is generally practiced in Idaho, al
though some fall planting IS done. In
buying trees for fall planting, the
planter should be certain that the
trees are well matured before pur-
chasing. In some cases, the nursery
man will strip the trees of their
leaves before selling them to the
Such trees are worthless
and should not be planted as it is
to form a low-headed tree
from such stock.
The planting in the spring is be-
gun just as soon as the spring freezes
are over, and the soil is dried out,
10 that it is mellow when handled.
As a general rule, the apple trees are
from thirty to thirty-three
'eet apart. This distance gives them
ample room to build p a good root
and ample soil from which
feed upon.
In planting, the holes are. dug
bout 2x2. The first 8 to 10 inches
II the top soil is placed in one pile
~ itself and the subsoil in another.
The. tree is placed in the hole at
bout the same depth, or possibly a
title deeper than when it grew in
he nursery. The top soil is then
'laced In the hole first and is we'll
lacked in around the roots, by using
ONE blunt instrument that will not
'ruise the roots. AS soon as the top
oil is placed in the hole, a quanti-
y of water should be run in, and the
settled by slightly pulling it up
nd down while the water is sinking
way. AS soon as this is done, the
ub-soil should then be added and
yell tamped in. The hole should be .
,ell filled and a dust mulch left on
Op. Before the tree is planted, the
DOTS should receive some slight
trimming, cutting away any injured
DOTS, or any root that has abnormal
rOWth. and will not Law straight in