INTER-CROPPING WITH FRUITS ^33 



How Exhaustion by Ilnter-Culture May Be Avoided. But all 



inter-cultures are a loan made by the trees to the orchardist. The 

 term may be very long and the rate of interest very small in some 

 cases, but sooner or later the trees will need restitution to the soil 

 of the plant food removed by inter-cropping. This may be accom- 

 plished by the use of fertilizers. Still the rule that the trees or vines 

 should have all the ground is generally true. It is also true that on 

 merely ordinary soils, trusting to rainfall, or on shallow soils, trust- 

 ing in part to irrigation, the trees or vines should have the full 

 strength of the land and all the help which can be given them in the 

 shape of thorough cultivation and intelligent cover-cropping. 



METHODS OF TILLAGE 



In general terms the main objects of tillage of orchard and vine- 

 yard are two : Winter cultivation for moisture reception, and sum- 

 mer cultivation for moisture retention. 



Wherever early winter plowing can be done without too great 

 danger of soil washing, it affords the best available means of admit- 

 ting water to the great reservoir in the lower levels of a deep soil. 

 Too frequently large volumes of rain water, enriched by air-washing 

 as it falls and by fine soil-particles as it flows, are allowed to run off 

 into the country drainage, with the double loss of fertility and mois- 

 ture to the fruit grower. Deep penetration of winter rains should 

 be, in all safe ways, promoted. Cultivation for retention has already 

 been strongly urged and is quite generally recognized. 



To serve these chief purposes there are two main divisions of 

 practice in this State, each of which has variations of greater or less 

 importance. 



First : Winter plowing followed by frequent use of cultivator and 

 pulverizer in summer. , 



Second : Use of disk or other cultivators at intervals both winter 

 and summer, following, if needed, with pulverizer in the summer. 



The main features of each division of practice, and some of the 

 claims by which each method is supported by its advocates, will be 

 noted. 



Plowing Orchard and Vineyard. There is considerable variation 

 in the practice of plowing orchard and vineyard, in the kinds of 

 plows employed, and the times chosen for the work. Some plow but 

 once, toward spring, whenever the ground is in suitable condition ; 

 and, if there is much growth of weeds and clovers, a looped chain is 

 run from the plow to the end of the evener to aid in drawing under 

 the tall growth. Sometimes, however, the growth gets so rank be- 

 fore the soil is in condition to plow that the weeds must be mown be- 

 fore plowing. Where but one plowing is done, the soil is usually 

 thrown away from the trees and afterwards is leveled back by har- 

 rowing or cultivating. If this practice is adopted, care should be 

 taken that the soil is properly returned about the tree roots, for 

 injury is sometimes done by bringing the roots too near the surface, 

 which is soon afterwards intensely heated by the sunshine. 



