INFLUENCE OF CULTURAL. METHODS ON GROWTH 49 



INFLUENCE OF CULTURAL METHODS ON THE GROWTH OF 



APPLE TREES. 



Roy E. Marshall, Lincoln. 



I realize that a paper is very monotonous, when you have to sit for 

 quite a while and listen to it, but since we have been requested tO' cut 

 these talks down as much as possible, it is about the only way we can 

 treat them so if you will bear with me a few minutes we will get at it 

 right away. (Reads paper as follows): 



The influence of different cultural methods upon the growth of apple 

 trees is a subject which would require data for several consecutive years 

 before any definite conclusions could be drawn, so what little I have to 

 present in this paper must be considered as merely suggestive, as it 

 represents the results of only the past season. 



During the past few years a great deal of interest has been shown 

 in the different methods of orchard culture. Experiment stations work- 

 ing along this line almost unanimously recommend clean cultivation 

 during the fore part of the season followed by a cover crop sown some- 

 time during the latter part of July or first part of August. 



A number of different cultural plats were started at the Nebraska 

 station in the spring of 1901, when the present orchard was set. Com- 

 parisons of the trees in the different plats have been in favor of the cul- 

 tivated and straw mulched plats. These plats have not only seemed to 

 make the best growth from year to year, but they have retained the soil 

 and fertility better than some of the other plats. 



In the plat in which clean cultivation has been practised during 

 the entire season, the trees have made a good growth but the soil has 

 eroded badly. It was necessary to place dikes made by placing foot 

 boards on edge, at right angles to the gentle slope, and now we find the 

 surface roots, of the trees are exposed. At the lower end of this plat, 

 tons of soil have accumulated during the past few years, showing the 

 immense amount of soil that may be carried away under this system of 

 culture in a few years. Another bad feature of this plat is that the late 

 cultivations have kept the trees in a thrifty growing condition rather 

 late and early freezes have killed them back in a few cases. 



Where the cover crop is sown sometime during the latter part of 

 July, both of these difficulties are overcome. The cover crop takes up 

 the moisture at this time and the wood is hardened before freezing 

 weather is r>pt to appear. 



This cover crop growth standing on the ground over winter holds 

 the leaves and snow on the land and thus alternate freezing and thawing 

 is lessened to quite an extent. When the growth of the past season is 

 worked into the soil, it adds some fertilizer and keeps the soil from 

 washing so badly, if the orchard is located on a side hill or much of a 

 slope. 



