112 Peach-Growing 



purpose of financial gain. Such a crop is "secondary'' to 

 the trees, while a crop grown during a certain period as an 

 orchard-improvement factor is without reference to direct 

 financial gain from the crop itself; it may be, and in fact 

 often is, of primary importance in the welfare of the trees. 



Inter-planted crops, therefore, may serve various pur- 

 poses in a peach orchard. The terms by which they are 

 commonly designated are partially self-explaining. They 

 may be enumerated as follows : (a) Filler- or secondary- 

 crops ; (6) cover-crops ; (c) green-manure crops ; {d) mulch- 

 crops; {e) shade-crops. These terms, excepting the first, 

 are used more or less interchangeably (sometimes erroneously 

 so), yet each one has its own special significance in orchard 

 management. Moreover, the objects implied by these terms 

 are attained largely by the use of the same crops, excepting 

 those for which filler-crops are grown. 



Briefly stated, these terms are differentiated about as 

 follows : A cover-crop is one sown usually rather late in 

 the season with a view, in part at least, to its furnishing a 

 cover for the ground during winter. Such a provision is 

 especially valuable where the winters are severe and the 

 ground apt to be without protection from snow. A cover- 

 crop frequently will prevent root killing by thus affording 

 protection to the roots. 



A green-manure crop is one grown primarily for the pur- 

 pose of supplying humus to the soil. It may also serve 

 the purpose of a cover-crop, and, in turn, a cover-crop adds 

 humus to the soil. The term "cover-crop" is, therefore, 

 the more comprehensive of the two, though when a crop 

 grown primarily for green-manure purposes also furnishes 

 protection during the winter, the terms become essentially 

 synonymous. 



