22 The Bulletin. 



cultivating orchards. 



In horticultural papers discussions are often seen as to the advisa- 

 bility of cultivating or not cultivating bearing orchards. Regarding 

 young trees there is not a shadow of a doubt of their being benefited 

 by cultivation. Indeed, it is only a loss of time and money to plant 

 trees without giving them cultivation at least during their early years. 

 Little trees left to struggle against weeds, drought and a poverty- 

 stricken soil very soon give up the struggle. If by chance they do 

 survive they become so stunted that they are never of much value. 

 Where the land is not too steep and rough, clean, shallow cultivation 

 should be given over its whole surface. The plow should not be used 

 in the orchard any oftener than necessary. An Acme harrow is a 

 good orchard tool, and on land that is not stony a disc harrow is one 

 of the bed. Implement builders are now making for orchard work 

 a reversible disc cultivator that does not ridge up the land and that 

 has an extension for working under low-headed trees. As soon after 

 rains as the land is in suitable condition it should be gone over lightly' 

 to make a surface mulch for conserving moisture. For cultivating 

 close to the trees and reducing hand hoe work to a minimum a Planet, 

 Jr., cultivator is one of the best tools. None but a careful man 

 should ever be allowed to cultivate an orchard. A mule and a care- 

 less man can do more harm to trees in an hour than all the insects 

 and diseases on record. Low collars and hames should be used on the 

 'horses, and they should be hitched to short whiffletrees. Chain traces 

 should be wrapped with burlap to keep them from injuring the bark 

 of the trees. There are special whiffletrees manufactured for orchard 

 work which have the traces attached in such a way that there are no 

 projecting ends to catch the bark. 



Before midsummer trees make most of their new growth ; the latter 

 part of the season is used in developing the shoots and in ripening the 

 terminal buds. If cultivation is continued after midsummer the 

 terminals will continue to grow, and the immature growth thus made 

 will be frozen back during winter. Cultivation should begin early 

 in spring and cease early in summer. 



Where land is too rough and rocky for general cultivation a circle 

 should be dug by hand about each tree. A mattock or heavy hoe is a 

 handy tool for doing this work. The first year a circle of two to 

 three feet in diameter will be sufficient. As the roots spread the 

 circle of cultivation should widen out. Lack of cultivation while the 

 tree is small is always attended with loss. 



THE SOD-MULCH ORCHARD. 



A great deal has of late been written in horticultural papers regard- 

 ing the value of the sod method and the sod-mulch method of handling 

 of orchards as compared with clean cultivation. On easily tillable 



