The Canadian Horticulturi^ 



Vol. XXXIII 



DECEMBER, 1910 



No. 



12 



Cover Crops in the Orchard 



COVER crops and their value in or- 

 chard practice is one of many im- 

 portant operations in orchard 

 management which should receive more 

 attention if we hope to produce Iruit 

 economically. The three methods of cul- 

 ture usually recommended are : First — 

 The cover crop method ; Second — The 

 clean culture method ; Third' — The sod 

 mulch method. There are some who ad- 

 vocate growing trees in sod but this is 

 an unwise method. It is adaptable only 

 to very exceptional conditions, and should 

 not be recommended. 



The cover crop method briefly is to 

 cultivate the ground from early spring 

 until the first of July, sufficient to keep 

 a fine earth mulch on the surface, and at 

 the time of the last cultivation seed to a 

 cover crop which will produce a ^ood 

 mat of vegetation to work under either in 

 the late fall or the following spring. The 

 clean culture method is similar to the 

 above except that no cover crop is grown 

 and the ground is left bare, or to be oc- 

 cupied by an occasional weed after the 

 last cultivation early in July. 



The sod mulch method is to mulch, us- 

 ually with manure, the area occupies by 

 the tree sufficient to prevent great evapor- 

 ation from the soil, and to keep all grass 

 or weeds cut, not allowing them to grow 

 taller than six inches and letting this ma- 

 terial also remain as a mulch. This prac- 

 tice is advisable if conscientiously follow- 

 ed especially on hilly, rocky or very open 

 gravelly soil, but what some growers 



Prof. S. Blair, Macdonald College, Que. 



practise and call the sod mulch method I 

 would call the large hay crop method. 



If the clean culture method is followed 

 some means must be adopted to get hum- 

 us into the soil. Without humus our soils 

 become unproductive. Humus not only 



The Challenge of the Wesl 



British Columbia has challenged 

 the provinces in Eastern Canada 

 to hold a "National" Apple Show. 

 What is the East going to do about 

 it? Our Eastern growers claim to 

 have more extensive areas of land 

 adapted to growing apples of high 

 quality than can be found in Brit- 

 ish Columbia. They profess to 

 grow apples of better quality. Brit- 

 ish Columbia growers now say, 

 "Prove it." 



The challenge falls properly at 

 the feet of Ontario fruit growers. 

 Granted that we have the fruit dis- 

 tricts and the fruit, have we got the 

 men who can "prove it"? The ap- 

 ple producing and consuming dis- 

 tricts of the world await the an- 

 swer. 



•Extract from a paper read at the annual con- 

 vention in Toronto last month of the Ontario 

 fruit Growers' Asaooiation 



aids in conserving moisture but give.- ^s 

 well a better mechanical texture to the 

 soil. It lightens up heavy soils and maizes 

 an open soil more compact. Humus in 

 the soil assures an ever present supply of 

 nitrogen, and prevents the leaching from 

 soils of potash and phosphoric acid. Bac- 

 terial life in the soil is largely dependent 

 upon humus and we must not forget that 



ihese lowly forms of life are large factors 

 in rendering a soil productive. 



Commercial fertilizers do not add hu- 

 mus to the soil. They can be used most 

 economically only on a soil not deficient 

 in humus for otherwise a continuous sup- 

 ply of available food material is not with- 

 in reach of the plant. I do not mean to 

 say anything against the use of commer- 

 cial fertilizers for they can be used to ad- 

 vantage by the orchardist. But what I 

 want to impress upon you is that humus 

 in some form is essential, and if the clean 

 culture method is followed, stable manure 

 or litter of some sort, must be used to 

 furnish it. Manure is not available for 

 many growers and, besides, if cover 

 crops can be grown in the orchard to sup- 

 ply the humus, and not be a detriment but 

 rather an advantage to the growing tree 

 or ripening fruit, why not miake use 

 of it? 



Many orchards are located on hillsides 

 and if cultivated a serious washing may 

 occur during the fall or early spring rains 

 if not prevented by means of a cover crop 

 of some sort. 



Nitrogen, one of our most costly ele- 

 ments of fertility, may be largely supplied 

 through a leguminous cover crop and the 

 purchase of fertilizers confined to the pot- 

 ash and phosphate manures. If clean cul- 

 tivation is followed this free nitrogen can- 

 not be secured. The above reasons are, I 

 think, sufficient to warrant one in advo- 

 cating the cover crop method of orchard 

 cultivation. 



RIPENING THE WOOD 



Another phase of the subject, is the 

 proper ripening of the wood for winter. 



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1. 



An Eridence of wbal New Brutwick cm do in tke Prodnctioa of High Grade Apploi. A portion of the DiipUy at Ihe Recent Exhibition at St. John, N. B, 



276 



