Winter Meetinz. 211 



•^ii 



in corn and then cultivate the rows the same as the corn. Another 

 plan we follow is to replow all ground in June and sow it to cow peas, 

 and then cultivate the tree rows. This tends to give a covering over 

 the top of the ground and rather protects the ground. I am thoroughly 

 satisfied that in many cases it is worth more than this continual culti- 

 vation, although I am almost afraid to say that before horticulturists. 

 Nine out of ten of us do not give enough cultivation, and the only v/ay 

 to carry the trees through in good condition this last season, was by 

 thorough cultivation, and we accomplished this by giving that thor- 

 ough cultivation to a space five feet wide on each side of the trees, 

 and giving the center either one of the three plans, which I have gi\'en 

 you. In all our work we try to cover just as much ground as possible. 

 We aim to do the work so as to keep all the teams busy the whole 

 season through, and that is a great question for me to settle, to see 

 how much work I can get for those teams, so we cannot lose a 

 moment's time during the whole season. 



The fourth plan is, in the fall of the year we sow to rye, and this 

 same ground that we broke up this year for instance, we let that go 

 until fall, cultivating the tree rows, and then next fall plow it up and 

 sow it to rye, at the same time leaving this strip ten feet wide. Now 

 next spring we plow under the r3e, and along in June when the rye 

 is just about ripened plow it under and sow it to cow peas, or some- 

 times plow it again and plant it in corn, so that it gives us almost 

 you see the whole twelve months in whch we can plow and take care 

 of our orchards ; so that with the teams that we have at work on the 

 orchard we can get over two or three times as much ground as you 

 can by folloAving any other specified plan. 



I believe in thorough cultivation for this season. I know that 

 during that severe drouth, when we had trees loaded with apples — in 

 order to help them and save them, we went through first and thinned 

 them about one-half, and then this row that we had been cultivating 

 pretty thoroughly we went through and harrowed, as friend Robnett 

 has told you of harrowing the whole of his orchard. Now he could 

 do that through the whole of his orchard, but I could not do it to 

 mine, but we did this strip of ten feet wide, and I am sure that helped 

 the trees and they ripened the fruits. So, we want to study the loca- 

 tion, and we want to keep informed. This cultivation is a preven- 

 tive of the drouth, and we can fight the drouth during the dry season 

 and keep the trees healthy at the same time by so doing, but at the 

 same time I want to throw out the caution here, that clean cultiva- 

 tion, thorough cultivation year following year, in that Ozark orchard 

 land will simply burn it out so there is no humus left in the soil at all. 



