[AT] Check planting

[Larry D Goss]

Ernst, do orange growers these days treat their trees the same way apple 
growers treat their apple trees?  Checking fruit trees is a good comparison 
to the style of planting that used to be done with corn so the field could 
be cultivated in at least two directions.  But modern orchards could better 
be called vineyards because of the way the trees are planted.  Today, apple 
growers plant the trees only three feet apart with 20 feet between rows. 
The trees can only grow sideways because they interfere with each other, and 
the tree trunks are so weak that they have to locate a wire running the 
length of each row to support the trees in the same way a grape vineyard is 
arranged.  Getting high yield is much more important than growing pretty 
trees, so the closer planting works.  I have a cousin in Michigan who owns 
an orchard that is nearly a whole section.  I visited him one spring when he 
was getting ready to cull the blossoms before they got too far along.  They 
had a really good "set" of fruit and it needed to be thinned so the trees 
could support and nourish the apples to maturity.  He said it pained him to 
have to knock better than 50% of the fruit off with his tow behind sprayer, 
but if he didn't, the boughs would break and all the fruit would be stunted. 
Growing apples isn't what it used to be.  Can orange trees be treated the 
same way?

RE: Narrow  tractors, etc -- In the vineyards Germany, I saw special 
tractors that are narrow enough to travel between the rows of grape vines 
while pulling the equipment for working on the field and harvesting.  The 
one I got to see up close and personal was a very narrow gauge Ford Major. 
Strange looking piece of equipment.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the 
presence of mind to pull out my camera and get any good shots.

FWIW (political statement coming) If you want to "buy American" avoid 
purchasing any apple product that says on the label that it is made from 
"reconstituted" juice, pulp, etc.  According to my cousin, all such products 
are using apple processing that comes through China, regardless of where the 
final product is made.  He's "not exactly happy" with what that has done to 
American orchards.

Larry

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "ERNST BORCHERT" <eb3 at shelby.net>
To: "'Antique tractor email discussion group'" 
<at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Monday, December 24, 2007 6:52 AM
Subject: Re: [AT] Check planting


> I have been trying to figure out what check planting is and after
> searching it seems to me as it is the same as we used to plant orange 
> trees
> in Orange County, California. The trees were planted 20 feet apart both up
> and down and across. We cultivated them up and down and across. When the
> trees were young you could see a straight row of trees just about any 
> angle
> you looked.
> Merry Christmas from Western North Carolina.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
> [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of Keith Kinney
> Sent: Monday, December 24, 2007 12:19 AM
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> Subject: Re: [AT] Check planting
>
> I've never seen it done but we still have a spool of the wire stored
> away in the barn.  It's been there a lot longer than I've been around.
> Keith
>
>
>
>
>
> Keith Kinney
> Evansville, Indiana  USA
> www.HerculesEngines.com
>
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