VI 

 GENERAL MANAGEMENT 



A SYSTEM of management for an orchard consists 

 of a series of practices nicely adjusted one to an- 

 other. These several practices cannot be consid- 

 ered separately, although it is a common defect of 

 discussion and practice to try to do so. Cultivation 

 will be influenced by the cover crop, and the applica- 

 tion of fertilizer will depend similarly upon the 

 amount of nitrogen secured by this means. Even 

 spraying will be influenced by cultivation. It is 

 necessary for every fruit grower to have a fully con- 

 sidered system of practice in which each several 

 operation dovetails into the others, all co-operating 

 toward one great result, namely, the production of 

 a crop of marketable fruit. 



Several of these cultural practices are of such im- 

 portance that they have been considered in separate 

 chapters of this book. This may also be because 

 they are difficult or involve a certain amount of de- 

 tail which requires elucidation. Other practices 

 which do not require so much discussion are grouped 

 together in the present chapter, but this is not neces- 

 sarily an indication that they are of minor impor- 

 tance. 



TILLAGE 



Cultivation of the soil is now generally recognized 

 as one of the most important features of agricultural 

 practice, but the application of this gospel to the 

 business of fruit growing has been rather tardy. Al- 



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