TILLAGE 781 



if the cover crop is sown curly to assist in using the extra supply 

 of moisture. Briefly, then, the means by which the tree can be 

 brought into winter in the hardiest condition are, to have an early 

 growth, such as would likely follow early plowing under of the 

 cover crop in the spring, with a cover crop sown early enough so 

 that its competition will insure the tree against excessive growth 

 late in the season. If the soil is plowed as early as possible in the 

 spring and the cover crop is sown in July, it is very probable that 

 more growth will be secured than if both be done a month later. 

 Yet, with the early plowing and early sowing of the cover crop, 

 one can be much more certain that the wood will be well ripened 

 for winter. 



CULTIVATION OF YOUNG TREES 



In the case of a very young orchard, it is generally wise to grow 

 an intercrop a crop to be harvested from between the trees. 

 The cultivation, then, will be partially determined by the nature 

 of the intercrop. If the orchard is growing in a section where 

 it is possible to make good profits from the intercrop, it may even 

 be wise to sacrifice to some extent the best interests of the tree for 

 the intercrop. However, in most cases, the general principle sug- 

 gested above should be followed ; namely, cultivation should begin 

 early in the season to insure vigorious early growth, and growth 

 should be checked by some means, either by the intercrop itself 

 or by means of a cover crop later in the season. For this reason 

 the intercrop should be one that requires cultivation, but does not 

 make it necessary to work the soil near the tree late in the season. 

 It is evident that there will be soils and conditions where this 

 principle may be ignored. 



TILLAGE OF YOUNG ORCHARDS JUST COMING INTO BEARING 



It is generally true that a few fruits may be expected from a 

 weak tree younger than from a vigorous tree ; however, it is nearly 

 always true that a profitable crop will be secured more quickly 

 from the tree that has been encouraged to make a vigorous growth 

 from the beginning. The fruit is likely to be borne on the spurs 

 that form earliest in the season. There is a great tendency for 

 the bloom to fall without setting fruit or for the young fruits to 



