Inter-Planted Crops 123 



active growing period of the trees by maintaining some 

 kind of crop on the ground during that period for the pri- 

 mary purpose of shading the soil would obviate the trouble. 

 This course evidently accomplishes the end in view, but 

 in reality it closely approximates a mulch-crop system of 

 maintenance which on general principles is objectionable 

 in peach orchards. However, the most objectionable feature 

 is perhaps the relation of the mulch-crop to soil-moisture. 

 In irrigated sections this is of less concern than in non- 

 irrigated areas, especially if water for irrigation is abundant. 



Many of the crops used for cover- and green-manure pur- 

 poses are suitable also for furnishing shade. Some of them 

 can be grown in drills to advantage and cultivated so that the 

 objection that shade-crops, because they occupy the land 

 during the early part of the season and therefore prevent 

 tillage, is not fully applicable. The grower whose trees may 

 have suffered injury from the cause in question should keep 

 in mind that he has recourse to the growing of crops that will 

 shade the ground if such course seems desirable. At the 

 same time such crops, if handled properly, will serve the pur- 

 pose of green-manure crops. 



It is only under rather unusual conditions that it is wise 

 to permit a peach orchard to remain in sod or to go through 

 a season uncultivated, particularly in non-irrigated regions. 

 However, where an orchard is in excellent condition, the soil 

 rich and well supplied with moisture, a temporary emer- 

 gency which compels resort to some kind of mulch system 

 may be without serious or irreparable damage to the orchard. 

 Plate XII shows a peach orchard being carried over one season 

 in a red clover sod. This was done merely for the purpose 

 of reducing the expense of maintenance during a season in 

 which there was little or no fruit. The owner assumed. 



