FACTORS IN FRUIT GROWING SECTIONS. 17 



to obtain a good stand of the cover crops generally used in this 

 country: 



Nitrogen Collectors. Nitrogen Consumers. 



Alfalfa 40 Ibs. Rape 9 Ibs. 



Hairy Vetch 40 Ibs. Turnip 2 Ibs. 



Cowpeas 90 Ibs. Rye 30 Ibs. 



Soy Beans 90 Ibs. Oats 2 bu. 



Velvet Beans 25 Ibs. Barley 1% bu. 



Mammoth Clover 20 Ibs. Buckwheat % bu. 



Crimson Clover 20 Ibs. Corn y 2 bu. 



Sweet Clover 15 Ibs. 



Crops in the orchard. The question of cropping the orchard 

 is an important one. As a ru-le this should never be done, yet 

 it may often happen that while the trees are young, before they 

 need all the space between them, some other crop can be grown 

 on the land to advantage. In such a case, the soil must be man- 

 ured or it may run down so much that the fruit crop will not be 

 profitable. The best test to apply to this is to see that the young 

 trees make a reasonable growth of wood each year and, with this 

 accomplished, there is no danger in cropping the orchard. 



It often happens that a cover crop may permit a fair growth 

 of wood but will so rob the soil of moisture late in the summer 

 that the fruit will fail to fill out properly. It is also true that 

 while in some locations trees may be grown without irrigation 

 to bearing size, the fruit is very small unless water is applied 

 to the soil at the time the fruit is filling out. 



The small grains are especially objectionable in the or- 

 chard because they do not permit the cultivation of the soil nor 

 shade it sufficiently to keep it from baking. These crops also 

 take much plant food from the soil. 



Potatoes and corn require the cultivation of the soil in 

 summer and consequently are among the best to grow in the 

 orchard. In the orchard preference should be given to those 

 crops that do not require the cultivation of the soil in late sum- 

 mer or early autumn, since cultivation seems to encourage late 

 growth of wood. If the orchard is to be cropped care should be 

 taken that the fertility of the soil is not impaired thereby, and 

 ordinarily it will be necessary to add manure to replace the 

 plant food removed. 



