THE GILBERT SYSTEM
OF

ORCHARD PLANTING

BY

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BOSTON
1913

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THE GILBERT SYSTEM OF ORCHARD PLANTING
BY
RALPH D. GILBERT

The advantages of this system of planting are that it allows
the land to be more fully occupied all the time than when the
trees are planted in squares, and that the thinning may be done
as needed, without spoiling the final symmetry of the orchard.
On the scale shown the original trees are planted so that each
is 20 feet distant from six others, thus forming a hexagon and
in the mature orchard each tree will be 40 feet distant from six
others. In square planting forty feet apart there are 27 trees to
the acre while in hexagonal planting there are 33 trees. If the
six additional trees produce three barrels of apples each it adds
18 barrels to the acre which at $3.00 per barrel means an increase
of $54.00 per acre per year; an item worth considering. It
makes provision for cross pollenization of two varieties, which
is very important, and is so arranged that the number of trees in
the permanent orchard may be equally divided between two
varieties, or if one variety proves to be much more profitable
than the other, the trees of that variety may predominate. No
man can say today, which variety would be the most profitable
to grow in 1930, and planted in this way, you have an option on
varieties until about 20 years after the orchard is planted. The
‘fillers’? may cost 30c. each and 20c. to set them, but in 8 years
they have paid for themselves, and the following 8 years they
should be very profitable.

A setting board like the one shown on the following page
from bulletin #141, of the Vermont Agricuitural Experiment
Station will be found convenient to use to make sure that the
tree when set, shall stand in exactly the place indicated by the
stake before the hole was dug.

In staking out the orchard, the stakes for a certain number
of units should be stained or painted to correspond with colors on
circles of diagram to insure against confusion and misplacing of
varieties when setting the trees. It is also advisable to set all the
trees of one variety in a given area before bringing the other vari-
eties into the field, planting varieties indicated by red and blue
circles before planting green.

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LOCATING PLANTING BOARD STAKES

LOCATING TREE BY PLANTING BOARD

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

The planting board is used to insure planting the trees in
exactly the place where the stakes stood when laying out the
orchard. ‘The notch should be cut half across the board and in
line with the end holes and exactly half way between them.
After staking out the field place the planting board against the
stakes as shown in the upper cut and drive two stakes of the
same color through the end holes. The board and center stake
may now be removed and the hole dug or dynamited. After
the hole is ready to receive the tree, slip the planting board back
in place and by holding the tree in the center notch where the
original stake first stood you will get the tree located exactly
right. Instead of having holes in the ends of the board and
cutting all marking stakes to a small diameter it is often more
convenient to cut a notch in each end of the board and drive the
marking stakes in the notches but in that case be sure that the
notches come exactly in the center of the board and not nearer
to one edge than the other.

DIAGRAM SHOWING LOCATION OF STAKES
AND METHOD OF STAKING.

To stake out a field for planting, lay out a row, being very careful to have
it straight and exactly at right angles with one side of the field. Drive small
stakes along this row, one every twenty (20) feet. Three men with a wire or
chain forty (40) feet long with aring on either end and a ring in the middle can
then lay out the next row very easily by the end men holding their rings on
stakes in the first row, the third man simply pulling both chains tight and driv-
ing his stake. Repeat this operation for all the rest of the rows. Jf the land is un-
even, care should be taken to hold the chains level. Occasional “‘sighting’’ may be
necessary to keep the rows exactly straight in every direction. The lines in

- the lower left hand corner illustrate how the field may be staked out. The
straight lines in the center of the diagram show how to sight the trees to get the
rows straight in every direction It pays to spend time to have all the rows
of trees straight in every direction not only because they look better but they
are much easier to cultivate.

COMPLETE ORCHARD AS FIRST PLANTED.

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The outline represents a square acre. Dashed lines represent boundaries of
units. This plan is drawn to scale so that every tree is twenty (20) feet
distant from six other trees set on the corners of a hexagon. Each unit contains
six (6) blue and six (6) red and four (4) green. The acre contains one hundred
and twenty-six (126) trees.

Let the blue represent Baldwins, the red McIntosh and the green some early
maturing variety, like the Wealthy; or the poorest trees of both Baldwin and
McIntosh may be set in the green circles as these are removed in the first thinning,
so have no permanent place in the orchard.

5

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ORCHARD AFTER FIRST THINNING
15 TO 18 YEARS FROM PLANTING

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Trees fifteen (15) to eighteen (18) years old. In removing the trees represent-
ed by green, we have removed a tree from two sides of every tree that is left.

Each unit now contains six (6) red and six (6) blue. The acre contains
ninety-six (96) trees, now is the time to decide which variety you want to have
predominate. When thinning this arrangement if you know which variety is the
most profitable for you to grow, cut so that you can have an orchard with that
variety predominating, or with an equal number of each variety 1f there is then

no difference in their value. You must decide this question now as further thin-

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nings are along distinctly different schemes as you will note as you read along.
Compare page 7 with page 10.

6

ORCHARD AFTER SECOND THINNING.
(OPTIONAL THINNING AT SAME PERIOD SHOWN ON PAGE 10)

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This arrangement may be thinned to half and half, or to three (3) blue to
one (1) red as shown on pages 8 and 9

Each unit contains three (3) red and five (5) blue.

The acre contains sixty-three (63) trees.

7

1

MATURE ORCHARD. (THINNED TO AN EQuAL NuMBER oF EACH VARIETY,

FOLLOWING THE SECOND THINNING AS SHOWN ON PAGE 7.)

Mature orchard in full bearing. Each tree is forty feet distant from six
other trees set on the corners of a hexagon.
| Each full unit contains an equal number of trees of each variety that is two
(2) blue and two (2) red.
The acre contains thirty (30) trees.

MATURE ORCHARD. (THINNED TO PROPORTION OF 3 TO 1
FOLLOWING THE SECOND THINNING AS SHOWN ON PAGE 7.

Mature orchard in full bearing. Each tree is forty feet distant from six other
trees set on the corners of a hexagon.

Each full unit contains three (3) blue and one (1) red.

The acre contains thirty-three (33) trees.

9

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ORCHARD AFTER SECOND THINNING.
(OPTIONAL THINNING AT SAME PERIOD SHOWN ON PAGE 7)

a) This arrangement may be thinned to half and half, or to three (3) red to one
1) blue.
Each unit contains three (3) blue and five (5) red.
The acre contains sixty-three (63) trees.

10

MATURE ORCHARD. (THINNED TO AN EguAL NuMBER oF EACH VARIETY,

FOLLOWING THE SECOND THINNING AS SHOWN ON PAGE 10.)

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Mature orchard in full bearing. Each tree is forty feet distant from six
other trees set on the corners of a hexagon.

Each full unit contains two (2) blue and two (2) red.

The acre contains thirty (30) trees.

11

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MATURE ORCHARD. (THINNED TO PROPORTION OF 3 TO 1
FOLLOWING THE SECOND THINNING AS SHOWN ON PAGE 10.

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Mature orchard in full bearing. Each tree is forty feet distant from six other
trees set on the corner of a hexagon.

Each full unit contains three (3) red and one (1) blue.

The acre contains thirty-three (33) trees.

12

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