HOW TO GROW AND MARKET FRUIT 



Vetch should be sown from July i to Sept. i. It is pretty 

 sure to catch, is a legume, like peas and clover, and sown 

 then it will be knee-high and very thick in the fall. Heavy 

 frst does not kill it, and it will start again in the spring. This 

 mat plows down easily in the spring, even though it will have 

 made a good growth by April. 



Mammoth, common red and alsike clover never reach their 

 best until they have occupied the land for more than a year. 

 It is true that they will make a fairly good growth by winter 

 if they are sown near the first of July, but, unless conditions 

 indicate that the orchard needs a rest for a year, other cover-crop 

 plants will be found to do the same work better. 



Crimson clover, on the other hand, is an annual. It com- 

 pletes its natural growth in a year from the time of sowing, 

 and is not killed by the winter. When it is sown in July a good 

 growth will be made before winter sets in, and again in the 

 spring before time to plow, which will be as soon as the land is 

 dry enough. This gives more organic matter with which to 

 loosen up the soil, and gives a longer period from which the 

 plant can gather nitrogen from the air. 



Crimson clover is the best clover plant we have for sections 

 south of the line of Trenton, N. J. The only limitations to 

 its use are those of its habits. It will not always catch in poor 

 or rough land, nor is its catching at all sure more than four 

 out of seven times north of the line named. Usually a certain 

 amount of soil-fertility building has to be done before it will 

 succeed. If you find that crimson clover will thrive and make 

 a thick cover on your land, you do not need to experiment with 

 other crops, as you have the best there is. Crimson clover 

 should be sown from July 15 to August 15 in the Middle At- 

 lantic states, earlier north, later south. In Pennsylvania and 

 north, peas or some other cover-crop plant should be sown with 

 it. 



The following figures show the approximate quantities of 

 seed which are recommended per acre for cover crops in young 

 orchards. Old orchards will need less: 



Barley 2 to 2 i bus. Cowpeas 2 bus. 



Beans ijtoa bus. Millet i to i bus. 



Buckwheat i bu. Oats 2 i to 3 bus. 



Canada Peas i to 2 bus. Peas 2 to 3 bus. 



Clover, crimson 8 to 16 Ibs. Rye i J to z\ bus. 



Clover, red 6 to 12 Ibs. Turnip 3 to 4 Ibs. 



Corn 2 J to 3 bus. Vetch i bus. 



Common sense will direct how these crops be put in. Sow 

 the coarser seed as you would wheat or oats, the finer as 

 you do clover or timothy. Use a machine or drill, if possible, 

 as that way gets the seed on more evenly. One thing, however, 

 cover-crop seed should always be worked in with harrow if sown 

 broadcast. Peas are sometimes sown in rows, especially where 

 the "grain" is wanted, but this takes more work. 



The following statements of the amount of plant food needed 

 by fruit trees are based on data given by Professor Bailey. 

 These figures give a clear idea of the quantity of food used by 



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