90 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES 



If the land be rich, the rainfall abundant and moisture held 

 well in the soil, or if irrigation can be made use of, it is fair to think 

 of an inter-crop during the early years of the orchard, providing 

 the crop can be profitably disposed of, its nature is such that no 

 heavy draft is made on fertility, and the financial condition of the 

 planter requires immediate return from the land, if possible. 



It thus appears that an inter-crop is finally made to hinge upon 

 the grower's necessities, and the inference would be that if the 

 money is not needed immediately, it would be wiser to hold the 

 whole strength of the soil as an investment on which returns are to 

 be finally had in the increased growth and fuller fruiting of the 

 trees in later years. 



This views the matter from a commercial point of view and 

 therefore in its most aggravated form. If it is merely a question of 

 whether the home supply of vegetables shall be taken from the 

 young orchard or vineyard, it is less serious and deserves a stronger 

 affirmative. 



In growing vegetables between the rows of trees or vines, 

 much depends, of course, upon the time and the way it is done. If 

 water can be applied between the rows late in the summer in such 

 a way that it will not prevent the deciduous trees from going for- 

 ward to their usual dormancy, or if the grower waits until the fall 

 rains wet the ground sufficiently and then puts in his vegetables for 

 late fall and winter growth without extending them too near the 

 trees, he can make his winter garden, enjoy its produce, and plow 

 in the debris so early in the spring that no appreciable injury will 

 be done to the trees, unless he is on that line of light rainfall where 

 every possible effort is demanded to receive and conserve all the 

 water that falls. If that be the case he has to cultivate to conserve 

 moisture both winter and summer and should not think even of 

 winter vegetables in the orchard. 



Perhaps the chief objection to winter vegetable growing is due 

 to the fact that the crop is planted too late and is allowed to occupy 

 the ground so late in the spring that the soil cannot be brought into 

 fine tilth which is necessary to save moisture. Instead of this, the 

 impacted ground on which the vegetables stood is turned up in 

 clods which no amount of crushing will reduce to tilth and the 

 orchard loses by defective cultivation more moisture than the vege- 

 tables consumed in their growth. 



The summer growth of vegetables in the orchard is a more 

 dangerous operation and whether it should be undertaken or not 

 depends upon local conditions previously outlined. Perhaps a spe- 

 cific instance may enforce the point and show what may be taken 

 as favored soil and moisture conditions. In the lower lands of the 

 Santa Clara valley near San Jose there have been constant contri- 

 butions to fertility by overflows from mountain water bringing leaf 

 mold and other materials found in the deposits of "slum," which 

 renew and keep up the fertility of the soil. Much of this land has 



