ORCHARDING IN MINNESOTA. 343 



Twenty reports were received from the southwestern part 

 of the state, and if this number has any relation to the size of 

 the fruit industry, then this region holds a rank of fourth place. 

 As in the other large fruit regions, cultivation is favored the 

 first few years and then sod. Only three growers have practiced 

 only tillage, fourteen both sod and tillage, and three only sod. 

 Tillage was thought by eight growers to increase the health of 

 their trees, by four to induce blight, by eleven to increase growth, 

 by ten to increase vigor, and by four to improve productiveness. 

 No mention was made of injury caused by sod. 



Intercropping with vegetables and small fruits was noted in 

 eleven out of the twenty orchards, and no injury was reported. 

 Cover crops, one combination consisting of rye, rape and corn, 

 and the other of weeds, were reported. The former was used 

 for a hog pasture, and the latter was preferred to sod. 



For seeding down, clover and red clover were used in six 

 cases, white clover in two, alsike in one, timothy in three, and 

 Junegrass in seven. Junegrass appeared in three additional or- 

 chards, orchard grass in one, and weeds in six. It is of interest 

 that the Junegrass in this section was more prevalent than 

 timothy. 



Six, or over twenty per cent, of the orchards, were pastured 

 with cattle, sheep, horses and hogs, the last named being most 

 common. 



Grass was left for a mulch in four orchards, part removed 

 in four, and all removed in three. Eighteen of the twenty or- 

 chards were manured, and only beneficial effects were noted. 



In summarizing the orchard practices in Minnesota, it is 

 evident that most of the young orchards are cultivated and about 

 one-half of them are intercropped with vegetables and small 

 fruits. Later, when they commence to produce fruit, they are 

 seeded down, usually with red clover and timothy. Throughout 

 their life manure is applied freely, probably at first to feed not 

 only the trees but also the intercrops and later to replace plant 

 food removed by the grass and fruit. In other words, most of 

 the Minnesota orchards are in sod, and their fertility is main- 

 tained by artificial feeding. 



It is interesting to note that cover crops, which are so gen- 

 erally used in fruit regions in other parts of the country, are 

 practically unknown in Minnesota, especially as two of their 

 values are to mature wood and to prevent winter-killing of roots. 

 Another point of interest is that only one grower out of 154 men- 



