62 APPLE GROWING IN CALIFORNIA. 



CHAPTER IX. 



INTERCROPPING. 



During the five years or more while the young apple orchard is 

 coming into bearing it is often quite a problem for the man of limited 

 means to make a living, and he must either secure work elsewhere or 

 grow crops between the trees, out of which he can make a sufficient sum 

 to keep up expenses until a profit can be made from the apples. 



Cropping of land between orchard trees, even while young, has some- 

 times been discouraged, but the writer can see no good reason why such 

 should not be done even after trees come into bearing, provided that 

 certain precautions are exercised. The orchard should of course receive 

 first consideration and no crops of any kind should be grown between 

 the tree rows, which in their care would detract from the care of the 

 trees. In this connection it is unwise to grow crops that require water 

 late in the summer or in early fall, as irrigation at that time may start 

 new growth or keep trees growing too long into the winter, in either 

 case rendering them liable to injury during the winter months, because 

 of the soft unripened condition of the wood. 



It may happen that there is scarcity of irrigation water for the 

 orchard. In such case it would also be unwise to plant intercrops of 

 any kind and thus take away the moisture needed by the trees. 



Crops such as corn, which make a rank growth, might not be best 

 for very young trees, on account of shading them too much. 



Notwithstanding these objections that may be cited against an inter- 

 crop in the young orchard, conditions are very often such that with 

 the proper crops and the proper care there will be no harm done, and 

 much good may even result to the orchard because of better care due 

 to these crops. 



As was mentioned in another chapter, California soils are usually 

 deficient in nitrogen and any leguminous crop is good to grow between 

 the trees, because of its adding this important element to the soil. Peas 

 and beans for this reason are excellent as intercrops, and provided that 

 market facilities for such are good there is probably nothing better that 

 can be grown. Of the non-leguminous crops may be mentioned potatoes, 

 cantaloupes, strawberries, cabbages, celery, in fact almost any vegetable 

 crop, and the one chosen will depend in most cases upon the demand 

 for the product. 



Field corn is quite frequently used as an intercrop, but is probably 

 not the best crop for the first year, at least. Its tendency to grow very 

 tall if it does well is against it, for the young trees are very often shaded 

 too much, and as a consequence fail to make the growth that they 

 should. This objection may be partly eliminated by keeping the rows 

 of corn several feet away from rows of trees, thus giving the latter more 

 room. Sweet corn and popcorn, because of their smaller growth and 

 lesser amount of shade, could be grown with less danger of damage than 

 the field corn. 



The growing of intercrops is very often discouraged because of the 

 plant food that is taken from the soil, thus depriving the trees of their 

 supply. This objection is certainly weak, for no one should expect to 

 grow orchard trees on land for many years without fertilizing to supply 

 the elements removed, and the growing of crops between the trees merely 

 hastens the time when such fertilization must be done. 



