High density orchards facilitate harvest

Decisions regarding high, medium, or low density orchards must include consideration of present and future mechanization. Tree size, shape, spacing, and pruning methods in established orchards limit the selection of new methods for performing cultural and harvest operations. Every effort should be made to plant and train new orchards so as to make them as adaptable as possible to new technology but also suited to present methods. Many tree crops will be harvested by hand labor for some time; yet we cannot afford to invest in new plantings without considering mechanization. The wisest plan is to consider hand operations now and mechanized operations in the future.