FORTY FIRST ANNUAL REPORT. 37 



tinumis clean cultivniion unlil (iine to sow Iho cover crop wliidi slionld 

 never be omilted. \Vc mnsl icnicinhei- tluit cnltivjilion is :iii cxiunislive 

 process on the soil, usiiij; n[» llic liuiiius niid libcriUing plant I'ood which 

 if not taken up by the roots of <»rowini;- plants may be lost to the soil. 

 The growth of the cover croj) takes moisture and fertility fi-oni the soil 

 which tends to check the ,i>i'owth of the ti-ees just at the time when they 

 should stop j;rowin«;', holdiiii*- that fertility over the winter and {giving 

 it up for the next year's growth of the trees. M also adds humus to the 

 soil helping it to retain moisture, holds the surface soil frcmi blowing 

 away and protects the ground during winter from severe freezing. 



Tlie remaining spaces between the rows may be devoted to growing 

 forage crops and for this purpose we have used mostly corn and medium 

 red clover each grown in alternate si)aces. The strips on which com 

 grows one year will be in clover the next year. Seeding is done at the 

 time of the last cukivation of the coin and a light seeding of oats also 

 sown with the clover seed. The oats grow taller in the fall than the 

 clover, help to hold the snow during winter and serve as a mulch for 

 the young clover i)lants. If any of the clover is used for feeding it should 

 be the first crop cut (piite early and all the remaining growth left on 

 the ground. The corn is either fed green to the cows or put into the 

 silo. As the trees grow the strips on either side of the rows for culti- 

 vation should be widened and finally the corn gi-owing droi>p(»d out 

 entirely. 1 have also used ]reas and oats, i-ye an<l winl<'r vetch for soil- 

 ing purposes. 



For a cover crop to be sown on the space that have been kept in clean 

 cultivation T know of nothing better than a mixture of oats and winter 

 vetch. The vetch is a great nitrogen gathei-er. Clover and stable 

 manure also sui)i»ly humus and nitrogen and when these are present 

 in the soil in large (piantities the minejal elements of plant food are 

 more readily available. P.y alternating coin and clover we get the full 

 fertilizing value of the clover plants. I have also used occasionally a 

 light dressing of ashes on the farm for the young trees and sometimes 

 hauling them sixteen miles for that imrjK)se. This, however, is done in 

 winter when the team is not needed foi- other work. 



I want to emphasize the importance of care in working ai'ound the 

 trees. A careless man has no business in a young orchard. Barking 

 of the trees may result in great injury to them. 



Protectic^m fi'om girdling by mice and rabliits may be secured by bank- 

 ing up around the trees late in the fall or by the use of tarred paper or 

 other material wra}>])ed around the trunks of the trees. There are also 

 various licpiid i)rei)arations to be a|)i)lied to the trunks with a brush but 

 I have never used them. 



It would seem unnecessary to sj)eak of the impoitance of keeping the 

 foliage in a young orchard in a healthy condition for best results in 

 growth of the trees, but it has been my observation that spraying is often 

 sadly neglected in the young orchard. IMuning is also a matter of great 

 imf)ortance. The young ti-ees should be started right, headed at a uni- 

 foiTu height and as low as we can and still give room for cultivation 

 under the trees. By giving attention to jnuning each year we may avoid 

 the necessity of ever having to cut oft" very large limbs. We should 

 aim to secure a well balanced to]), comj)act enough to hold U|) its load 

 of fruit, yet spreading and ojicn enough to give all the bearing surface 



