124 Peach-Growing 



however, that this practice was doubtless at the expense 

 of the trees. 



Attention has been called to the relatively large number 

 of crops that can be used for inter-planting purposes. The 

 problem is perhaps complicated somewhat by the number. 

 The grower, however, need not be anxious about the one 

 selected so long as it is adapted to the climatic and other 

 conditions under which he is working and at the same time 

 meets the needs of his particular orchard. 



The needs to be considered vary not only with individual 

 orchards, depending on the soil conditions and the way the 

 soil has been managed, but the needs are more or less re- 

 gional. In parts of the country where the ground is habit- 

 ually deeply covered with snow all winter, there is not the 

 need of providing protection from extreme freezing that 

 there is in regions where the winters are very cold and further 

 characterized by little or no snow. The problem or the 

 pressing need in some other region may be a cover-crop of 

 such a character that it will hold the snow from blowing away 

 from the orchard. A crop that will start into vigorous 

 growth early in the spring may be the requirement in some 

 places, in order thus to aid in drying out the soil. In other 

 regions or under some conditions the trees may tend to grow 

 too late in the season, and the need then may be a crop that 

 will make vigorous fall growth which will check the trees 

 and induce ripening of the wood. 



If the trees need more nitrogen, a leguminous, rather than 

 a non-leguminous, crop is the logical choice. In supplying 

 humus to the soil, so far as known, one kind of crop, bulk 

 for bulk, is as good as another. 



Thus, a wise selection of a crop for inter-planting in- 

 volves consideration from two well-defined standpoints : the 



