Vermont State Horticultural Society 67 



RESULTS OF SOME RECENT INVESTIGATIONS IN 

 ORCHARD MANAGEMENT. 



BY W. F. NYE. 



Ill March, 1905, the Agricultural Experiment Station at 

 Ithaca, N. Y., published in bulletin 226 the results of "An Apple 

 Orchard Survey," of Wayne County, New York. The object of 

 this survey was primarily for the purpose of securing such a 

 mass of data upon certain cultural problems relating to fruit 

 culture as to make deductions drawn therefrom of more per- 

 manent value because of the fact that they were based upon such 

 extensive observations. The data presented in this bulletin is 

 of such a practical nature as to have a wide application to apple 

 culture in most apple growing sections, and is certainly very 

 pertinent to Vermont fruit growers. 



Such problems as tillage, fertilization, spraying, and dis- 

 tance of planting were particularly investigated as to their rela- 

 tion to productiveness and vigor of trees. 



I. Tillage vs. No Tillage. Very many observations were 

 made upon tilled and untilled orchards, and in every case a con- 

 siderable increase in yield was shown in favor of the former. 

 Ordinarily, however, the man who did not till, did not treat his 

 orchard in other respects the same as the man who preferred 

 tilling the orchard. To settle this question an average was made 

 on orchards that were treated similarly in every respect, except 

 in the matter of tillage. This question of tillage vs. no tillage 

 is very well summed up in the following four-year average of 

 well cared-for orchards set previous to 1880. This is an average 

 for the entire county for the crops of 1900 to 1903 inclusive. 



Tilled five years or more 271 bushels per acre. 



Tilled most years 245 " " 



Sod most years 206 " " 



Sod five years or more 200 " " 



The result of this comparison shows in the four year average an 

 increased yield of 71 bushels per acre in favor of the tilled 

 orchards over those in sod. 



Advantages and Disadvantages of a Sod Orchard, (a) Ad- 

 vantages. There are some advantages for having the orchard 

 in sod that are worth considering; The small stones are not 

 brought to the surface as in the case of tillage ; it is easier to 

 haul spray rigs over ; and it furnishes a good place for the apples 

 to fall. If the trees are making sufficient growth to maintain the 



