No. 7. DEPARTMEiNT OF AGRICULTURE. 355 



latter, on aceount of blight, a rather slow, firm growth is desirable 

 in contrast to a rapid succulent growth. The influences of tillage 

 may easily induce the latter. And with apples, it does not neces- 

 sarily follow that seeding the orchard down for a year or two at a 

 time when cultivation is the rule is not oftentimes of direct benefit. 

 The thing to do is to cultivate for the sake of the trees, not for 

 the sake of the cultivation and when the trees by their appearance 

 and behavior cry ''enough," then seed down for a year or two to 

 clover or grass of some kind. Fortunate, indeed, is the man who 

 is so expert at interpreting the appearance and behavior of his trees 

 that he knows when to cultivate and when not to do so. But this 

 constitutes one of the fundamental diilerences between fruit grow- 

 ers. Then, too, the topography of many sites well suited other- 

 wise to fruit growing is such that continuous tillage is out of the 

 question on account of the washing of the soil which would follow 

 that practice. In such cases the benefits of tillage which might other- 

 wise result advantageously must of course be foregone for obvious 

 reasons. 



But continuous tillage of an orchard year after year^ — that thor- 

 ough tillage which means clean cultivation — will gradually work 

 ruin to the physical condition of any soil because it means a con- 

 tinuous diminution in the supply of humus or decaying vegetable 

 matter which is absolutely essential to its fertility. Clean tillage 

 then must be accompanied more or less frequently with a green 

 manure crop. Fruit growers and others have been slow to realize 

 or to understand the importance of maintaining the humus sup- 

 ply of the soil. But gradually it is becoming appreciated. All over 

 the country, even in the prairie sections where the exhaustless rich- 

 ness of the soil has been the boast for years past, the necessity of 

 growing green manure crops is becoming apparent and the fruit 

 growers are seeing its meaning. 



As a rule some legume is desirable for a cover crop because of 

 the nitrogen which it takes from the air and adds to the soil. In 

 a cow pea country, perhaps, there is nothing better than this crop; 

 but crimson clover, common red clover, vetch, etc., are frequently 

 used. Among the non-leguminous crops used, rye is perhaps the 

 most common. Buckwheat, rape and various other things are also 

 of value. 



These cover crops permit of tillage through the most important 

 portion of the growing season, then following the cessation of that, 

 l)erhaps in July, the cover or green manure crop is sowed. 



Thorough tillage and the use of leguminous cover crops go a 

 long way in maintaining the fertility of the soil in an orchard. 

 Further than this I am inclined to pass over the matter of the plant 

 food sui»ply for the orchard. But I have ample justification in so 

 doing for two reasons: Your own Agricultural Experiment Sta- 

 tion is doing more in the investigation of these problems than any 

 other institution that I know about. Preliminary results have al- 

 ready been published and are available in bulletins from your sta- 

 tion. Then, too, enough has already been said to show that the 

 "fertility question" of any orchard is a very local question and the 

 only place it can be ansAvered for any one of you is right in your 

 own orchard. The bulletins of your station suggest how to go 



