778 THE FRUIT INDUSTRY ix XEW YORK STATE 



supply late in the season and check the growth of the trees, insur- 

 ing satisfactory maturity. Any crop, therefore, that can be sown 

 as late as July 1 to August 20, and w r ill yet make a reasonably 

 good growth before time to plow it under the following spring, 

 may be considered useful as a cover crop. Some of the crops that 

 may be expected to make a good growth during the summer and 

 autumn seasons are: oats, or a mixture of oats and Canada peas; 

 buckwheat, or a mixture of buckwheat and Canada peas; dwarf 

 essex rape; cowhorn turnips. It is of some advantage to have the 

 cover crop live through the winter, since it w r ill then remove 

 moisture from the soil somewhat rapidly in the spring and make 

 it possible to plow the ground earlier than could otherwise be 

 done. Among the crops most satisfactory from this standpoint 

 are : rye ; winter vetch ; and, in some cases, crimson clover. Dwarf 

 essex rape will sometimes live through the winter. 



It is also an advantage if the cover crop be one t)f the legumes, 

 so that it may furnish nitrogen as well as humus to the soil. Per- 

 haps winter vetch may be mentioned as the most satisfactory cover 

 crop of this type. The only important objection to it is the cost 

 of the seed, but this may be grown by the orchardist. Red clover 

 is coming to be used to a large extent in parts of New York. 

 Canada peas may also be mentioned in this class. Crimson clover 

 is sometimes used successfully, though it is very often a failure 

 and will not usually be satisfactory north of New Jersey. 



Soil conditions are important determining factors in choosing 

 a cover crop. Thus, dwarf essex rape seems to make about the 

 best growth on a very heavy soil. Crimson clover can generally 

 be expected to grow successfully only in sandy soil. Winter vetch, 

 rye, Canada peas, and oats are satisfactory for a very great variety 

 of soils. Red clover does not give satisfactory results in an acid 

 soil, so some growers find that it is best to use lime in order to 

 get a good cover crop of red clover, even though the trees may not 

 show much response to the use of lime. 



RELATION OF TILLAGE TO WINTER INJURY 



Since the nature and time of tillage would generally influence 

 so markedly the condition of growth, it would be expected also to 

 influence greatly the amount of winter injury. It should be said 



