APPLE GROWING 



harrow or the disk harrow is best to use to 

 work up the soil and no time should be lost 

 in getting at this as soon as the land is dry 

 enough in the spring. Sometimes the disk har- 

 row can be used to work up the soil in the 

 orchard in the spring without any plowing at 

 all, especially on loose loams where there are 

 few stones. But on newly plowed land a disk 

 cuts too deep and there is too great danger of 

 injuring the roots. On spring plowed land the 

 spring-tooth harrow usually gives the best re- 

 sults. After the soil is thoroughly fined and 

 worked into a mellow bed and as soon as the 

 period of excessive moisture in spring is passed, 

 a lighter implement like the smoothing harrow 

 or a light shallow digging cultivator should be 

 used to stir the surface of the soil only. 



The growing period for an apple tree begins 

 as early as growth starts in the spring and 

 continues up to about midsummer. If culti- 

 vation is to stimulate growth as much as pos- 

 sible, it should be done during this period. The 

 first object of cultivation in the early spring 

 is to loosen up, aerate, and dry out the soil, 

 which is usually too wet at that time. As culti- 

 vation is continued the soil will become fined 

 and firmed again by the time drier weather 



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