EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 263 



When orchards are cultivated without crops, it will be well to plow the 

 land in the spring, if it is inclined to be hoavy; and then, at intervals of 

 a week or ten days during the summer, give it a stirring with some form 

 of harrow or orchard cultivator. For this purpose, when the soil is light, 

 we have used with good results the Acme harrow. 



When the trees are large and it is desirable to work beneath them, the 

 Pearce orchard cultivator will enable one to work the ground two or three 

 feet further under the branches than the team can be driven. 



Of the newer implements that are coming into favor is the Morgan , 

 orchard cultivator. This has been quite extensively used for several years 

 and is generally highly spoken of. 



In case the land is well drained it is best to give it level culture during 

 the summer, working away from the trees the soil that was turned toward 

 them when the land was plowed in the spring. 



The tillage is of advantage to the trees in various ways, as it opens the 

 soil and thus favors the admission of water which might otherwise run 

 off; it admits the air more freely and in this way aids in the solution 

 of plant food in the soil; the roots also are able to penetrate it more 

 readily. Perhaps the principal gain is in conserving the water that is in 

 the soil and preventing its evaporation. By keeping the surface soil to 

 the depth of two inches light and open, the amount held in the soil will 

 be increased nearly one half. This will be of great importance to the 

 crop and in dry seasons will be equal to the addition of thousands of bar- 

 rels of water to each acre of the land. 



When the land is not to be cultivated it is well to place a mulch of some 

 kind around newly planted trees to prevent loss of water. 



Although it answers for this purpose, there is a serious drawback to the 

 use of a mulch, as it draws the roots into the surface soil and renders them 

 more likely to be injured by the winter. 



MANURES AND FERTILIZERS. 



One of the essentials for the successful growing of an orchard is the 

 presence of an abundance of plant food. While land that will grow a 

 large corn crop will have plenty of food for young trees, there are few soils 

 that will not be benefited by an application of manure after the trees 

 come into bearing, and if the land is heavily cropped it will generally be 

 desirable when the trees are two or three years old. 



Until the trees reach a bearing age, we need not think of using com- 

 mercial manures so long as an abundance of stable manure can be 

 obtained. From fifteen to twenty loads to the acre applied broadcast once 

 / in two years will supply any ordinary farm crop and provide food for the 

 growth of the trees. If the trees alone are to be manured, it will not be 

 desirable to cover all of the land with manure until the trees have reached 

 the age of ten or twelve years. The amount used should depend on the 

 size of the trees and should be placed over a circle with a diameter about 

 twice that of the heads of the trees. The banking of manure about the 

 trunks is unwise, as the feeding roots are for the most part several feet 

 away. Upon bearing trees it is generally as well to leave a considerable 

 space about the trunks without manure, and it is better to have the entire 

 amount outside the circle of the branches than to have it packed about 

 the tree. 



