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Contour planting of fruit trees at Blackwood experimental orchard, c.1950

Contour planted apples in the Balhannah area. Contour planting was trialled to reduce soil erosion resulting from clean cultivation with disc harrows for weed control in orchards. The photo was taken in the winter and shows a sown cover crop between the rows. Contour planting of apples did not become popular because straight rows were easier to manage and the move to irrigation and mown sod (grass) sward between the rows in the 1960s largely eliminated the erosion problem.

(Source: Barry Windle)