No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 221 



cultivation kept up. This goes beyond the necessities of case with 

 young orchards. Cultivation for the purpose of saving moisture 

 is not to be timed by the calendar, but is rather to be regulated 

 by the weather. After each rainfall, even though slight, the soil 

 is to be stirred and just often enough to break the crust and to 

 keep the surface mellow. More frequent stirring of the soil than 

 this, if given without reference to the conditions, may accomplish 

 no more in conservatiou of moisture and yet burn up more humus. 

 It is the recklessness regarding the humus suppl^^ which needs 

 reformation. In the case of 3'oung orchards there is, in the first 

 place, too little thought as to how to get humus into the soil, and 

 after that how to conserve it. The conservation of moisture is 

 not to be considered more than that of humus. In other words, 

 there needs to be a much nicer adjustment of processes in conserv- 

 ing both water and humus. The culture side has been put too con- 

 stantly forward, and only half of the conservation side has been 

 considered. 



It is easily possible to force a young orchard into too succulent 

 a growth by injudicious tillage. This is commonly understood with 

 reference to tillage late in the season, but when clean culture, with 

 no crop growing between the trees, is carried beyond the necessi- 

 ties of preventing the waste of moisture there is, beginning with 

 warm weather, a notable increase of nitrates. All orchardists will 

 agree that, at the beginning of the bearing age of any kind of a 

 fruit tree, the nitrogen supply should be limited. 



Tardy bearing is sure t(i result if fruit trees are forced when the 

 fruit buds are forming. In tilled orchards the nitrates begin 

 materially to increase early in June, in this latitude, and do not 

 greatly diminish until cool weather comes. In mulched orchards 

 the nitrates are less abundant at this time and are more uniform 

 in quantity. This may explain why mulched trees in grass begin 

 bearing earlier than those under cultivation. 



The inference is plain; there ought to be a crop on the land all 

 of the time to take care of the nitrates, and that cultivation should 

 be mainly to conserve moisture. The theories Avhich have been pro- 

 mulgated regarding tillage and cover crops are not founded upon 

 sufficient data. They are not well balanced. There are facts com- 

 ing to light which will compel a revision of the views now held 

 and a restatement of theories, not only regarding tillage and cover 

 crops but of mulching as well. The practices in vogue do not, 

 however, match with the theories, in many cases. In my own 

 state the usual custom in the peach region is to practice clean 

 cultivation during the early part of the season and then for a cover 

 crop allow the weeds to grow. The country over this custom is 

 more prevalent than any other. 



The next most common practice is to cease cultivation early and 

 then to sow a cover crop. Where grass is used as a cover crop it i , 

 for the most part, pastured or made into hay. Mulch, Avhen used, 

 is put near the trees, and commonly the grass is taken from the 

 centers for this purpose. It looks, after all, as though no one has 

 a very firm belief in the theories anyway. Not, at least, what might 

 be called a saving belief. It seems to me, at present, if we accept 

 as a fundamental doctrine tluit humus should be formed and con- 

 served to the greatest possible extent in the early years of the 



