Winter Electing. 161 



suckers or cross limbs and that do in the summer time when the sap 

 begins to thicken and you will see how quick they heal over. I 

 think it would be a good idea to mulch the trees with oM straw, but 

 never close to the tree; keep away from the tree at least fifteen inches 

 with your mulching. Never plant any crop in the land that will cause 

 the land to be disturbed in the fall, such as potatoes, as that would 

 cause the trees to start a new growth, or at least start a second flow 

 of sap. 



In apple orchards where you grow low headed trees there should 

 be good air circulation, which cannot be had behind a growth of tim- 

 ber or hedges. 



Now, I do not advocate this system for all parts of the country, 

 as in the east, where I was raised, the fruit on the lower limbs would 

 not color. There must be a different system and higher heads in 

 some localities. 



What I wish to say then is this, to cultivate all the time or not culti- 

 vate after the orchard comes into bearing. I think a great many 

 orchards are ruined by deep cultivation close to the trees. Breaking 

 off roots, especially the branch roots, near the top of the ground 

 causes the tree to blow over in a wind storm. On the other hand, 

 in the clover and mulching system the roots are near the surface and 

 if you adopt this system you should never plow the orchard. 



I am not fully decided how long to cultivate. I think that would 

 depend somewhat on the growth the trees have made, either four or 

 five years. Then seed down to clover and never break up that land 

 again. The year you seed down will be a big check on the growth of 

 the tree and it will nearly always form fruit buds and bear the next 

 season, that will be the sixth or seventh year from planting. Our custom 

 has been to keep the weeds and clover mowed down the first summer 

 after sowing, and the next year you have a crop of clover hay and may 

 also get a crop of clover seed, but after that time we usually keep the 

 ground run over with a mowing machine, say twice a year, and leave all 

 on the ground. 



We head low and when the trees come into bearing, the branches 

 will touch the ground, thereby shading the ground and keeping it cool. 

 It keeps the leaves from blowing away, and you will be surprised to get 

 down on your hands and knees and examine the land and see how loose 

 it is and how it retains moisture. We pick three-fourths of the apples 

 standing on the ground, and I have seen gangs of men, fourteen in a 

 gang, that will average 75 bushels per day per man, delivered to the 



H— 11. 



