Il8 THE CONNECTICUT PO.MOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



water for the orchard in summer. The soil must make up 

 the difference from what is stored up in it during the fall 

 and winter. It will do this to some extent, whether the land 

 is in sod or tilled. But we have seen that tilled land holds 

 and supplies to the trees much more water than the sod 

 land. In sod orchards the g"rass starts early, makes its .qreat- 

 est o^rowth, and so takes most water from the soil just at 

 the time when growth should be most rapid in the trees. If 

 there is plenty for both, all right, but there seldom is. As 

 a result, and as I have explained before, trees in sod are 

 early bearers, but are not, other things being equal, as thrifty 

 growers, and will not, in the long run, be as productive. 

 Hogs pastured in sod orchards keep down the grass and so 

 conserve soil moisture and roughly till the land. Mulching 

 is, of course, a great help in such orchards, and top dress- 

 ings of fertilizers. Is then sod in orchards to be con- 

 demned? I think not always. On very stony lands, especial- 

 ly steep hillsides, it may pa\- better than tillage which, in 

 such places, would be difficult and expensive and might make 

 the soil gully or wash badly. But the careful observations 

 we have, indicate that only in exceptional cases can the 

 greatest profit be got by th'e sod system; and I am; discuss- 

 ing now orcharding for profit, not for fun. Beautiful, high- 

 colored, abundant fruit is sometimes gathered from sod or- 

 chards. But I believe the weight of testimony shows the 

 best profits are from tilled or occasionally tilled orchards. I 

 say occasionally tilled, for there are orchards on such moist 

 soils that yearly tillage produces excessive wood growth, and 

 a smaller yield of fruit as a result. This can be changed by 

 seeding to grass and keeping in sod until the skilled orchard- 

 ist sees that they need tillage again. 



As to cover crops : A thrifty cover crop tempts us to 

 wait too long before turning it under. Everv day adds a 

 good deal to its bulk, but every day adds also to the water 

 which it draws from the soil, and also, it seems to me. adds 

 a day to the time of ripening off of the wood in the fall. For 

 it is this legume crop, plowed under, from which the trees 



