240 EXPERIMENT STATION EECOED. 



in the season followed by a late cover crop of rye resulted in nearly 12.5 per 

 cent more tree growth than for trees under either tillage or tillage with a 

 cover crop. In general all of the mulching methods gave better results than the 

 tillage methods. The author concludes relative to this test that the best soil 

 management in a young orchard is the one which conserves the moisture best. 

 This gives the largest growth and earliest fruiting under most conditions. The 

 moisture is conserved most efficiently by a good mulch of strawy manure or 

 other plant materials, which should be accompanied by proper protection 

 against mice. Where sufficient mulching materials are not available proper 

 tillage and cover crops should give satisfactory results. On good tillable soil 

 and with the trees well mulched the use of tilled intercrops is the most prac- 

 tical method of orchard development. The financial returns from intercrops of 

 potatoes in these experiments have usually run from $40 to $50 an acre even 

 on the very poor soil involved. 



Among the annual cover crops buckwheat, hairy vetch, and millet rank high. 

 It is suggested that the buckwheat may be harvested by high cutting or heading 

 probably without materially reducing its favorable influences on the adjacent 

 trees. The use of alfalfa in the orchard not only furnished an abundant supply 

 of mulching material around the young trees, but under favorable conditions 

 it may also afford a considerable surplus for hay. The mulch should be 

 heavy enough to prevent the alfalfa from growing in competition with the 

 principal tree roots. This system of management gave better results than any 

 kind of annual tillage during the first seven years. In the older bearing 

 orchards, where the mulch-producing area is small, three courses are suggested — 

 mulching materials may be brought in, a tillage system, preferably by disking, 

 may be adopted, or it may be possible to replace both by a proper system of 

 fertilization. 



The fertilizer experiments as a whole have shown that the fertility needs 

 are often most important in the older orchards (E. S. R., 29, p. 437). In lieu 

 of specific information relative to the needs of such orchards annual applica- 

 tions of either stable manure at the rate of 6 or 8 tons per acre or a commercial 

 fertilizer carrying about 6 iDer cent nitrogen, 8 per cent phosphoric acid, and 

 4 per cent potash at the rate of about 500 lbs. per acre ai*e recommended. On young 

 trees applications of plant food alone have given as a rule but little benefit 

 except in the presence of an abundance of moisture. In a few cases some actual 

 injury has apparently resulted to young trees from rather heavy applications 

 of commercial materials especially rich in the more soluble forms of potash. 

 Hence a good mulch of manure is believed the best general application for 

 young trees. Where this is not available moderate surface applications of the 

 above noted general fertilizer are recommended. 



Making old orchards profitable, L. Greene {Iowa Sta. Circ. 20 (1915), pp. 

 3-32, figs. IJf). — This circular summai'izes the principal results secured in an 

 apple orchard survey of Mills County, Iowa (E. S. R., 32, p. 540). 



Stock influence upon the vintage quality and other characters of apples, 

 B. T. P. Barker ( Vniv. Bristol, Ann. Rpt. Agr. and Eort. Research Sta., 1913, 

 pp. 97-102). — The results of analyses made under the direction of the National 

 Fruit and Cider Institute for a number of years lead to the conclusion that the 

 influence of the intermediate stock on the vintage quality is very slight, if it 

 exists at all. Analytic data on fruit juice from various trees in 1913 with 

 average data for the period 1908-1913 are given. 



The cacao tree in the State of Bahia, L. Zehntner (Le Cacaoyer dans VEtat 

 (le Bahia. Berlin: R. Friedlander d 8ohn, 1914, PP- XII-\-156, pU. 49). — An 

 account of cacao culture in Bahia, based upon travel studies made by the author 



