42 BEGINNERS GUIDE TO FRUIT GROWING 



unanimously favor the system of cultivation. The 

 opinion in favor of cultivation is emphatic so far as 

 peach and plum trees are concerned ; it is less so 

 with regard to apples ; and even the most advanced 

 exponents of culture will admit that pear trees 

 sometimes need to be checked in growth by having 

 the land sown down to grass. 



The cultivation system is practiced about as fol- 

 lows : The land is plowed early every spring as soon 

 as it is dry enough for cultivation. This plowing is 

 fairly thorough, which does not mean, of course, a 

 deep and careful turning of the soil as is accom- 

 plished in the growing of fine market garden crops. 

 In fact, in many good soils this spring cultivation 

 is given with the spading harrow rather than 

 with the plow. The second cultivation will fol- 

 low about two weeks later, and will be given 

 either with the disk harrow or the spring-tooth 

 harrow. If the land is in particularly good con- 

 dition an even lighter implement may be used, per- 

 haps the ordinary spike-tooth or smoothing harrow. 

 Subsequent cultivations will follow at intervals of 

 10 days to two weeks until the day of sowing the 

 cover crop. The purpose of these cultivations is 

 to preserve the light dust mulch over the surface 

 of the soil. This dust mulch is very useful in pre- 

 venting the evaporation of moisture. These- later 

 cultivations can best be given with a light smooth- 

 ing harrow. 



The later cultivations in the orchard, being ap- 

 plied only to the surface and being accomplished 

 with the lightest possible tools, may be given very 

 rapidly. The harrow should be wide and light and 

 should cover considerable space at each round of 

 the team. It is possible to buy special orchard tools 



