SPECIAL REPORT 19 



CULTIVATION 



A cultivated crop, such as corn, potatoes or beans can do no harm 

 between the trees during the first three or four years, or until the trees 

 come into bearing, providing the fertility of the soil is kept up, sowing a 

 cover crop with the last cultivation, using oats, barley, clover, or what- 

 ever in the judgment of the grower would seem advisable. Cultivation is 

 considered superior to any form of mulching, except dust mulch, especially 

 in a dry season. Shallow plowing in May and thorough harrowing every 

 week or ten days, until middle of July, or August ist is considered good 

 cultivation by our growers ; using Acme, springtooth, or spike tooth har- 

 rows, or cutaway disc harrow. Care should be taken to stop cultivation 

 soon enough to give the wood ample time to ripen up for winter, the condi- 

 tions of the weather regulating the time of stopping the cultivation to some 

 extent. 



COVER CROPS 



The sowing of a cover crop for winter has become a universal practice 

 by the best fruit growers. Crimson Clover is probably more largely used 

 than any other kind of plant. Oats and barley are used in connection with 

 the clovers or alone. Mammoth clover has proved even superior to Crim- 

 son, in some tests carried on at the South Haven Experiment Station. Michi- 

 gan. Oats or barley are preferred, used with the clovers rather than either 

 one alone. The oats and barley grow much taller in the fall and form a 

 protection to the clover, catch and hold the snow and thus serve to better 

 advantage ; these die down during the winter, but the clover is there in the 

 spring, and by the middle of May, has made a good growth and by plowing 

 it under we add a large amount of plant food, and vegetable matter to the 

 soil. 



Other leguminous plants are used, such as cow-pea, soy bean, hairy 

 vetch, or winter vetch and field peas. Experiments have proved the cow- 

 pea to be practically worthless for cover crop purposes in Michigan, the 

 time being too short for satisfactory growth from Aug. ist to the last of Sep- 

 tember, when the frosts come and after the first frost, there is nothing left 

 but the stems. The hairy vetch has given excellent results, but for 

 cover crop purposes, the seed comes so high as to make the use of it 

 prohibitive. 



If the clovers are sown alone, eight quarts per acre is used, and if sow- 

 ing the oats or barley separately, two bushels are usually used per acre, but 

 if the oats or barley are used with the clover, one bushel of oats or barley to 

 six quarts of clover makes an excellent combination. 



If vetch is used, one bushel to the acre is none too heavy a seeding? 

 as the seed is quite large. 



