Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1915-10-07

sheets of this lesson will be kept for those who may decide later to under
 take the course.--J. H. Miller, Director Cooperative Extension w Work.
 l ]. PLANTING A HOME ORCHARD. Location.
 If possible, the home orchard should l be planted upon a sloping site, aiming
 to avoid frosty pockets" and places i where the land is apt to be wet and 1 frosty. If placed. upon 2 site where the land is apt to be rather wet, the soil should be tile drained, but, as
 rule, it is best to plant upon places l where no artificial drainage is nee i essary.
 | Soil.
 l Good fruit can be grown upon a great variety of soils. and it is better to have the home orchard on soil that
 is not perfectly congenial than not to have any at all. At the same time each fruit seems to have it's soil pre- ferences, and, if possible, we should plan the different fruits where the soil is congenial As a rule, the stone fruits, like the peach and cherry, like
 a fairly sandy warm soil, while the ! plome, fruits, such as the apple and
 pear, demand a heavier type of soil. In
 any case the soil for the home orchard should have the three essentials, good
 drainage, good texture and fair fer tility.
 Choosing Varieties.
 In choosing varieties for the home
 orchard, one should not select the same varieties that he would for com
 mercial planting. The home fruit
 grower raises fruit for pleasure and for eating: market value is not of con- cerns This is important, because some l variEties are good for the market, but vervrpoor for home use. The conner l cial KToWer might make more money out pf the Ben Davis apple, but the 1 Grinles or Jonathan are much better 1 for home use. In the first place se l lect varieties that thrive in your To- 1 cality and give preference to varie-
 ties of high quality. Good culture can not atone in the future for the selec- ! tion of poor varieties, and, for this | reason, it is important to select va
 rieties of high duality at the begin ming Another factor to consider in l the varieties for the home orchard is
 choosing the varieties that suit your 1 special taste. Each planter will have to decide these things for himself. if 1 in doubt as to the varieties best suit ed to your locality and tastes, send to i the Arkansas Experiment Station for
 Bulletin 116.
 Selecting Nursery Stock.
 One cannot be too careful in select | ing nursery stock for home planting ] The common mistakes made are se-
 lecting cheap trees and ordering from
 unreliable nurseries. Cheap trees are
 poor economy and are very apt to be
 untrue to name They are expensive
 at any price. First class trees from a
 reliable nursery must be expected to 1 cost more than poor trees from poor | ly managed nursery. Patronize a
 nearby nursery, other things being l equal, so that you will be able to go
 and inspect the stock yourself before
 buying.
 Planting.
 | The ground for the orchard should
 be as we'll if not better prepared than
 for any farm crop. Fall and winter
 planting is probably best with the
 conditions we have to deal with in
 this state. This enables the tree to
 get we'll established before spring and there is less danger of damage by the summer drought. Severe losses can
 often be prevented by the proper treat
 ment of the trees at the time of plant
 ing. Cut off the bruised and broken
 ends of roots and thin out the crowd ! ing and interlacing ones. A large part of the root surface has been cut 1 off at the time of digging and to meet l this loss the top should be cut back one-third to one-half. In planting, too
 much care cannot be given in placing tic trees. in apermanent position. As l rule,. trees are. planted in squares. l locating the position of the tree by
 measure or by sighting. After the To- cations of the trees are found, it is we'll to use common planting board, which consists of a small board about 1 five feet long, with notch in either
 end and a notch in the middle. The middle notch. is placed at the stake
 where the tree is to be planted and 1 other stakes are driven in the notches at the end. Then the planting board is taken away and the hole dug Then
 the beard is placed back in the posi- ,tion and this, locates the position of | the tree while planting and insuses straight rows. If a. very impervious
 sub-soilsis found, perhaps little dyna. mite could be used to advantage. In most locations, however, dynamite will not be necessary.
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