508 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



5 GEORGE v., A. 1915 



A NEW SYSTEM OE OECHARD CULTIVATION. 



Among the many systems of orchard cultivation which have been originated 

 within the past few years, there is one whicli appears to be very worthy of mention. 

 The system in question may be called tjae " Johnson Method." It was originated 

 some seven years ago by Mr. E. H. Johnson, of Greenwich, Kings County, N.S., and 

 is termed by <him " the rotation of cultivation system." It consists of cultivating 

 every other ridge while the remaining ridges are sown to clover or some other crop. 

 This system alternates each year, that is, the ridge which is cultivated in 1912 is 

 sown in mid-summer to clover and the following year is allowed to remain in sod. 

 On the other hand, the ridge which in 1912 was in sod is ploughed in the fall or in 

 the following spring and kept cultivated until midsummer, when it is again sown. 

 Thus each ridge is cultivated every other year and is sown to clover crop every other 

 year. The crop growing on the ridge in sod is kept mowed during the summer and 

 allowed to remain on the ground as a mulch. 



The following extract from a letter from Mr. Johnson will explain further this 

 method, together with his arguments in favour of it. It may be added that this 

 system is being largely adopted throughout Nova Scotia, and has given good results 

 to date. Added to Mr. Johnson's arguments are the lessened cost of cultivation by 

 this system over the clean cultivation method :— 



" I have used this rotation of cultivation system for six or seven years 

 and have not yet gotten over the feeling that it looks slovenly, yet when harvest 

 time comes I always feel well repaid for any worry I may have had in this 

 direction. 



" I originated this system myself, and the two facts from which I deduced 

 it are these: Eirst, that an apple tree standing on a hea'dland and only 

 cultivated on one side apparently stood drought and gave just as good results 

 as trees cultivated on both sides ; second, when I ploughed an orchard that had 

 stood in sod for some time I invariably got better results the first two years 

 while I wias getting the old sod rotted up, than I ever could get again either 

 by using stable manure alone or commercial fertilizers alone, or by a com- 

 bination of both. And now after six or seven years' experience with thi< 

 method of cultivation, I feel sure that no other method suits the apple orchard 

 that is in full bearing quite so well as the rotation system." 



Ottawa. 



