THE ORCHARD CROP 273 



of the new growth and this adaptation to winter conditions is 

 sometimes called ripening of the wood, and cultivation must 

 cease in time for this ripening to occur before winter. 



In the Northern states, where the autumn ripening period 

 is short and the winter is cold, cultivation should usually cease 

 in late June or early July. In the Southern states, where the 

 autumn is long and the winter is mild, cultivation may continue 

 throughout the summer, often until the fruit crop is mature. 



Cultivation should cease earlier in wet seasons and in moist 

 climates than in dry. In case of a drought, one of the best 

 ways of enabling trees to mature their wood is to give good 

 tillage to retain the soil moisture. 



357. Special features of cultivation. The different species of 

 fruit vary somewhat in the amount of cultivation required. The 

 peach and the Japanese plum are rank growers and gross feeders. 

 They make rapid annual growth and reach the bearing age early. 

 They also remove annually from the soil a greater quantity of 

 plant food and are less drought-resistant than other fruit trees. 

 Their vigor is easily impaired, and their capacity to bear fruit is 

 reduced by unfavorable conditions for growth. For these reasons 

 peaches and Japanese plums should be given more thorough 

 cultivation than is required for other fruits. 



Pears and cherries are not gross feeders. They remove from 

 the soil only about one third as much plant food as do peaches, 

 and about one half as much as do apples. They are able to grow 

 under less favorable conditions than other fruits and require less 

 cultivation. Many growers prefer to cultivate cherry orchards 

 and pear orchards only two or three years, or until the trees 

 become well established, and then seed the land to grass or 

 clover. Pear trees which make slow, firm growth, as when in a 

 sod, are more resistant to blight than those which grow rapidly. 



The apple and the American and European plums rank 

 between the peach and the pear in their tillage requirements. 

 They should be given good cultivation at least until they reach 

 the bearing age. Usually they produce better if given good cul- 

 tivation throughout their life. On deep, mellow, fertile soils they 



