HORTICULTURE 31 



distance of 3 or 4 feet from the trunk each spring, and later in the 

 season the grass and weeds mowed and put around the trees. How- 

 ever, such locations are exceptional, and the great truth remains that 

 orchards which are kept in sod are seldom profitable. When orchards 

 are in a stiff sod, the rain water is often prevented from soaking into 

 the land. An old sod on a steep hillside sheds water readily. The 

 grass roots also take up large amounts of water from the soil. There- 

 fore in sections liable to drought, the formation of a close sod in the 

 orchard should be prevented as much as possible. (U. S. E. S. B. 

 178.) 



MULCHING. 



Growing trees and other plants independently through the use 

 of mulching may sometimes be successfully practiced under certain 

 conditions, (a) Where there is an abundance of good mulching 

 material. There is a great difference in the value of different kinds 

 of mulch. A covering of coarse weeds, for instance, may afford but 

 little protection, (b) Where the soil is well worked in the spring 

 before the mulch is applied, (c) Mulch may often be used to ad- 

 vantage close to the trees where the soil near them is not easily culti- 

 vated, (d) Raspberries, blackberries, currants, and gooseberries 

 may be grown by a system of mulching without cultivation, but it is 

 seldom desirable to do so. (e) While cultivation of the soil is not as 

 successful in the conservation of moisture as mulching, when mulch- 

 ing is done in the best manner, it is nevertheless far better than 

 mulching as commonly practiced. (/) Mulching fruit plants the 

 year round tends to encourage the development of surface roots 

 which are liable to be injured by freezing. The roots also interfere 

 with cultivation when the mulching is discontinued, (g) Mulching 

 greatly increases the risk of damage in case of fire, (h) The mulch 

 about plants furnishes a harbor for injurious insects, field mice, etc. 

 These pests are most easily kept in check by clean cultivation. 

 (U. S. E. S. B. 178.) 



The Sod Mulch. The Hitchings or sod mulch system of or- 

 chard soil management has attracted considerable attention during 

 the past few years, and has been the basis for considerable experi- 

 mental work. The sod mulch system needs to be explained to many 

 fruit growers and farmers who go into fruit growing, because they 

 confuse cropping to hay with sod mulch. In the sod mulch system 

 nothing is removed from the orchard. All grass is cut or left where 

 it falls or is gathered and piled around the base of the trees. More 

 recently it has come to include the hauling of additional litter and 

 piling around the trees. Its advocates claim many advantages for it, 

 while its opponents point out some evils. Undoubtedly the sod 

 mulch system has some merits. As a means of conserving and con- 

 trolling moisture, however, it is less satisfactory than the clean cul- 

 ture cover crop system, and in several other respects is inferior to the 

 latter method of orchard soil management. 



The sod mulch does have a place in apple growing in this state. 

 On rolling sites where the slopes, are so steep that washing of culti- 

 vated soils entails danger from serious soil washing, the sod mulch 



