912 Popular Editions of Station Bulletins of the 



times striking, thus showing clearly the greater vigor of the trees 

 on tilled soil. On this plat, tree diameters confirmed the evidence 

 of the foliage; for both Greening and Sutton trees on the tilled sec- 

 tion were more than an inch greater in diameter than those on sod, 

 the Suttons nearly an inch and a quarter greater. These are con- 

 siderable differences for trees of this age, and can not be considered 

 as accidental, since 150 trees were measured. 



These figures plainly show greater vigor for tilled trees on this 

 plat while on the other plats no such difference appeared. How is 

 this to be explained? First, the soil on the hillside is deeper than 

 that in the valley and gives the trees a larger feeding area so that 

 the roots can get away from the grass; and, second, on the hillside 

 there is an almost constant seepage of water from higher up the 

 slope, which affords an abundance of moisture for both trees and 

 grass. In the comparatively shallow and dry soil of the valley the 

 trees in sod can not compete successfully with the grass for either 

 water or food, and therefore suffer. 



Exoense With crop yields favoring the sod mulch under 



^ * these conditions, the exact cost of production is not 



needed to prove it the better method in this orchard, for it is quite 

 evidently cheaper to leave land in sod than to till it. It is well that 

 the case is so plain, for it would be hard to reach a fair average 

 for the cost of cultivation from the data secured in these tests. 

 The plats were so small that the expense of handling them as units 

 was greatly increased; and it is doubtful whether many orchards 

 would require, or at least receive, as many cultivations during the 

 season as were given the tilled sections of these plats. In brief, 

 however, the cost of cultivation in A, the large plat in the valley, 

 was $11.22 per acre annually; in B, the second plat in size, at the 

 base of the hillside, $13.30, and in C, the small plat well up the 

 slope on steeper grades, was $24.33 per acre. The cost of mowing 

 the grass averaged 72 cents an acre. 



Q-. The relative cost of the two methods, even were 



eonsidprat'n <; cr0 P s equal; makes sod mulch better for Mr. Hitch- 

 ings; and he finds other advantages. Under his 

 method of harvesting, which is to allow many of the varieties to 

 ripen on the tree and drop, or to shake them off, the exposed dirt 

 under the tilled trees is decidedly objectionable, as it bruises and 

 soils the fruit. This, with the poorer color of the red varieties 

 under tillage, makes apples thus handled less acceptable in market. 

 Wh . From the behavior of the Hitchings orchards, 



, mulch New York apple-growers may infer that there are 



annlirahW particular places, soils and economic conditions 



** * under which the Hitchings method of sod-mulching 



apple trees may be used advantageously. Since the prerequisites 

 for the success of the method, as indicated by the Auchter and 

 Hitchings orchards, are not very generally found in this State, the 



