302 Bulletin 72. 



and it does not allow of those variations in cultivation and man- 

 agement which may be essential to the varying seasons. It may 

 be true that enough fertilizer can be placed upon the land to re- 

 place the loss of plant food, but it is never done and probably 

 never will be. And, more than this, the nursery stock drinks up 

 the moisture which should be used by the orchard. Nursery 

 stock is known to be particularly hard upon land, so much so that 

 nurserymen never grow two crops of fruit-tree stocks in succes- 

 sion upon the same area. 



Sod may sometimes be allowed in an orchard if it is closely 

 pastured, but hay should never be cut. Sod lands are not only 

 drier than cultivated ground, but they are favorite breeding places 

 of insects. Borers are particularly bad in grass land. No stone 

 fruits should ever be allowed to stand in sod, and the same may 

 be said of dwarf pears. Apples and standard pears may now and 

 then be seeded with safety, but it is certainly true that, in general, 

 fruit decreases in proportion as sod increases. Very thrifty 

 young apple and pear orchards may sometimes be thrown into 

 bearing by seeding them down for a time, but the sod should be 

 broken up before the trees become checked in vigor. The use of 

 clover and other temporary cover crops as a means of fertilizing 

 the land, is discussed farther on. 



Most of the apple orchards in New York are in sod, and grow- 

 ers are always asking if they shall be plowed up. If the growers 

 of apples are satisfied with the crops of the past few years, let the 

 orchards alone ; but if it is thought that better crops are desira- 

 ble, do not hesitate to make an effort to obtain them. It is sur- 

 prising that the disastrous failures of recent j^ears have not awak- 

 ened farmers to the necessity of really doing something for their 

 orchards. Now and then an enterprising man makes an ener- 

 getic attempt and is rewarded, as. a future bulletin will show ; 

 but the greater number continue to exercise the most thorough- 

 going neglect and to bewail the failure of the crop. Yes, plow 

 the old apple orchard ; then fertilize and spray it. Or, if the 

 roots are too near the surface to allow of plowing, harrow it thor- 

 oughly when the turf is soft in spring, and continue to work it 

 during the season. If this is not feasible, then pasture it closely 

 with sheep or hogs, feeding the stock at the same time. If this 

 cannot be done, and the orchard is unprofitable, cut it down. 



