HORTICULTURE. 239 



The root systems of the tilled trees are approximately circular, while those 

 of the sodded trees are very irregular, " iudicating a reaching out of a part of 

 the roots in response to a demand for more moisture, food, or air or to escape 

 some evil effect of the grass roots." Sodded trees grovping next to the tilled 

 land showed better health and greater productivity than the trees on the inner 

 sodded rows. 



The average cost per acre of management, exclusive of harvesting, was $17.92 

 for the sodded plat and $24.47 for the tilled. The average net income per acre 

 for the sodded plat was $71.52 and for the tilled plat $110.43, an increase of 

 54 per cent. 



The following reasons are given why tillage seems to be better than sod for 

 the apple: 



'■ The results of 120 moisture determinations in the Auchter orchard show 

 that the differences in tree growth and crop in the two plats of this experiment 

 are mainly due to differences in moisture, the tilled plat having most moisture. 



"As a consequence of the reduced water supply in the sod plat, there is a 

 reduced food supply ; for it is only through the medium of free water that plants 

 can take in food. Analyses show that the differences between the actual 

 amounts of plant food in the two plats are very small. 



"Analyses show that there is more humus in the tilled plat than in the sod 

 plat, contradicting the oft-made assertion that the tillage method of managing 

 an orchard ' burns out the humus.' 



"At a depth of 6 in. the tilled soil is 1.1° warmer in the morning and 1.7° 

 at night than the sod land ; at 12 in. the tilled soil is 2.3° warmer in the 

 morning and 1.8° in the evening. 



" "We are justified, without the presentation of specific data, in saying that a 

 tilled soil is better aerated than sodded land. 



" Soil investigators are well agreed that beneficial micro-organisms are found 

 in greater numbers in a cultivated soil than in other soils." 



Although the experiment does not show that apples can not be grown in sod, 

 it was noticed that the sodded trees began to show ill effects the first year the 

 orchard was laid down to grass, and each succeeding year showed greater 

 injury. 



How sod affected an apple orchard, F. H, Hall {Neiv York State Sta. Bui. 

 Sl-'i, popular cd., pp. 3-20, fig. 1). — A popular edition of the above. 



Apple culture in Vermont, W. Stuart {Vermont Sta. Bill. I'll, pp. 63-100, 

 pis. 8, fig. 1). — This bulletin discusses the extent and development of the apple 

 industry in Vermont, and contains detailed suggestions relative to the starting, 

 culture and care of an orchard, and the disposal of the crop. 



Picking' and packing- citrus fruits, M. J. Iorns (Porto Rico Sta. Circ. 8, 

 pp. Jt-20, figs. 2 ) . — This circular contains suggestions on the practice and princi- 

 ples of picking and packing citrus fruits. The information given is based 

 largely upon the experience of successful growers in all the citrus growing 

 regions of the world as gleaned from various publications on the subject. 



Small fruits in 1907, J. P. Pillsbury (Pennsylvania Sta. Rpt. 1908, pp. 20.5- 

 217). — Notes are given on the varieties of strawberries, raspberries, blackber- 

 ries, currants, and gooseberries tested at the station during the season of 1907, 

 and with the exception of the raspberries and blackberries, tabular data are 

 reported indicating the flowering and fruiting periods and the vigor of the 

 different varieties. 



With' the view of arriving at the relative merits of wide-matted row and 

 narrow-matted row systems and the hill system of culture, some data were 

 compiled relative to the average size of 10 varieties of strawberries which have 

 3406— No. 3—09 4 



