December, 1916. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



289 



K' 



ing a crop of apples quite equal to 

 that produced in our best seasons. 



These orchards also received culti- 

 vation in order to protect them against 

 the drought which existed during the 



eater part of the summer. While it 

 .s difficult to lay down definite rules 

 with regard to the cultivation of orch- 

 ards, yet on general principles I have 

 no hesitation in saying that cultivation 

 in the early summer is one of the neces- 

 sities in the development of any kind 

 of a fruit crop. This not only makes 

 the food in the soil available, but pro- 

 tects against the long dry spells which 

 so often prevail during the summer 

 months. There is no better mulch than 

 an earth mulch, and if the roots are 

 kept some little distance from the top 

 of the ground they will not suffer to 

 the same extent in dry weather as 

 roots which are brought to the top to 

 feed upon a cover mulch. 



In travelling among the orchards of 

 Canada this year I was impressed with 

 the wonderful results that have been 

 obtained in many orchards by Bor- 

 deaux mixture. I have asked myself 

 time and again, and I pass the ques- 

 tion on to the fruit growers of Can- 

 ada : Have we done a wise thing in 

 dropping almost entirely Bordeaux 

 mixture? Lime sulphur has proven a 

 most valuable spray, and has been of 

 very great service to the fruit grow- 

 ers, but I merely raise the question : 

 Has it been as successful in the control 

 of fungus in the ordinary commercial 

 orchard as Bordeaux mixture? Is the 



King ap»lt,3 ready for the graders and packers. This practice of piling in the orchard 

 ducive to disease. Fortunately it is Ibecooning obsolete. 



qiiality of fruit produced in Eastern 

 Canada of as high quality as it was 

 six or seven years ago? And are the 

 crops as large? Questions such as 

 these should be studied and pondered 

 by the fruit grower during the winter 

 months, so that he may be able to pre- 

 pare his plans to meet the require- 

 ments of the coming season. 



Profitable Vegetable Cropping 



Charles Barton, Cedar Springs, Ont. 



»T 



^ ti 



i 



make the garden pay its best, 

 double crowing should be 

 practised. By double cropping 

 is meant, growinig two crops on the 

 same land in one season, either succes- 

 sively or together. Crops for succes- 

 sive double cropping must mature 

 rapidly, so that both can be harvested 

 the same season. They should not be 

 f the same ibotanical familjj', since 

 [rotation is important. Moreover, the 

 'tillage of the first crop must constitute 



suitable preparation for the second. 



In growing two crops simtiltancous- 

 ly, companion crapping, as it is called, 

 the crojjs seleoted must be such as 

 mature at widely varying times. One 

 of them should be a catch crop grown 

 to usefully occupy the -ground until 

 the main crop requires it. Moreover, 

 they should, if practicaible, be of dif- 

 ferent botanical families, and such as 

 will benefit by the same tillage and 

 manuring. 



Rotation of Crops. 



Rotation signifies the regular re- 

 moval of specific annuail crops to dif- 



ferent plots of ground year by year, 

 involving successive ■cultivaition lof 

 plants which tax the 'land in different 

 ways. A cursory consideration of the 

 composition of soils, and of the de- 

 mands made uipon them by plant 

 growth will demonstrate the impoTt- 

 ance of sueh a system of cropping. 



Practically every sample of soil eon- 

 tains in available condition some pro- 

 portion of each of the mineral con- 

 stituents necessary to sustain vegetable 

 life. Besides this, an immense quantity 

 is locked up in the stones and other 

 mineral components of the soil: This 

 store is continuously, though very 

 slowly, being dissolved by the action 

 of frost, rain and air, so as to become 

 available 'for ' assimi'lation hy plants. 



Certain crops require specially large 

 proportions of particular minerals, 

 while others need comparatively small 

 supplies of the same elements. Again, 

 some plants tax only the surface soil, 

 while others send do'wn 'long tap roots 

 into the stibsoil in search of food. For 

 example, the ash of -pens contains 40 



per cent, of potash and 36 per cent, of 

 phosphates, while that of cabbage con- 

 tains, potash, 48 per cent., phosphates, 

 16 per cent., lime, 15 per cent., sul- 

 phuric acid, 8 per cent., and soda, 4 per 

 cent. If we continuously crop ground 

 with peas, which make a great demand 

 on phosphates, sooner or later the yield 

 will fail. The available supply of 

 these minerails will be used up faster 

 than it can be restored by natural 

 forces. 



Of course, in such a case the requir- 

 ed element could be supplied in the 

 form of manure, or by allowing the 

 plot to lie fallow for a sufficiently long 

 period. The latter method is an 

 obviously unprofitaJble one, since it en- 

 tails temporary cessation from culti- 

 vation. EquaJlly obviously the former 

 may be improved upon by successive 

 growing of other plants, which will tax 

 different sets of minerals. Thus, in- 

 stead of growing peas again, we deep- 

 ly work the soil to assist in releasing 

 the locked up minerals by exposure to 

 the air; give a liberal dressing of 

 manure, and grow cabbages, which re- 

 quire 'large proportions of lime, sul- 

 phuric acid, and soda, and much 'less 

 phosphates. 



Again, after cabbage, the fibrous 

 roots of w'hich obtain their sustenance 

 from the surface only, we cultivate 

 some other pilants, siicli as parsnips, 

 which send down long tap roots into 

 the soil in search of the necessary 

 minerals. Thus good crops are secur- 

 ed, even though both cabbages and 

 parsnips require large quantities of 

 potash. 



