GENERAL MANAGEMENT 71 



be sowed depends largely upon latitude. In the 

 southern states it is customary to sow the cover crop 

 in May, June or July, the proper month being re- 

 garded as June. In the northern states the practice 

 is to put in the cover crop about the middle of July, 

 although this should be regarded as the latest feasi- 

 ble date. 



TILLAGE TOOLS 



Various tools are required to carry out the tillage 

 herein recommended. Early plowing in the spring 

 may be done with a light turning plow. A good, 

 steady team and a plowman of temperate Christian 

 habits are required. In other words the work has 

 to be done carefully, slowly, with great restraint 

 and in such a manner as not to injure the trees. 

 Of course, this plowing will not be so deep nor so 

 thorough and smooth as practiced in the preparation 

 of the field for crops outside of the orchard, but it 

 may be made efficient for the purposes in hand. In 

 most loose, workable soils the early spring tillage 

 may be given with a spading harrow. * Such a har- 

 row can be made to cut the soil to a depth of 6 

 inches, or even more. This will be sufficient in any 

 orchard. It has many substantial advantages over 

 a plow where it can be used, but it will always be 

 well to keep the plow in mind and put it in where 

 a more thorough tillage of the soil is required than 

 can be given with a spading harrow. 



The disk harrow, which does not cut so deep as 

 the spading harrow, may be used on hard soils for 

 second, third and fourth cultivation and may be 

 brought into use at other times when the judgment 

 of the fruit grower dictates. As a rule the disk 

 harrow is not used for preparing and maintaining 

 a dust mulch. 



