444 Rbport of the Horticultubist of the 



form a complete covering a few inches above. Like the Canada 

 and blue peas, if sown in a bearinj^ apple orchard, it would 

 impede the gathering of the crop. This rank growth seemed 

 to invite the mice to an excellent hiding place, and early in 

 the fall they gnawed the bark of several trees, in some cases 

 completely girdling them. The mice caused no trouble in or- 

 chards where other field crops were used. Plate XXXI, figure 

 1, shows an orchard where winter rye and vetch were used for 

 a cover crop, and in the background api^ears the ranker growing 

 rape. 



The results of the season's experience with cover crops, so 

 far as they are now available, may be summarized as follows: 



(1) Sainfoin does not make a good cover crop for the orchard 

 because it takes the plant so long to get established that when it 

 is sown the first of August it does not grow enough in the fall to 

 compare favorably with other kinds of cover crops. 



(2) SItrcct dorer was not given a satisfactory test because too 

 little seed was used and because it was sown in an old orchard 

 where the ground was \(^vy much sliaded. It is an aggressive 

 weed. 



(3) Canada peas, or blue peas, with buckicheat gave very satis- 

 factory results on hard clay soil where crimson clover had pre 

 viously been tried with no success. The peas kept green till 

 winter. 



(4) Cow peas, like buckwheat, are kil](Hl with the first frost, 

 and for this reason do not compare favorably with Canada peas 

 for use in orchards in this latitude. 



(5) Winter vetch and winter rye form a perfect mat of vegeta- 

 tion in a few weeks and remain alive through the winter. They 

 do not grow high enough to interfere seriously with gathering 

 winter fruit if sown by August first. 



(G) Mammoth clover formed a dense cover, remained alive 

 through the winter, and, on the whole, was one of the most 

 desirable i)lants tested, comparing favorably with winter vetch 

 and winter rye for orchard use. 



(7) In some cases orchards are making so rank a growth that 

 it is not desirable to add nitrogen compounds to the soil. The 



