16 One Thousand Questions in Agriculture 



growing a field crop by ordinary methods of cultivation. Select a 

 crop which will require summer cultivation, like corn, potatoes, 

 squashes, and beans, and never a hay or grain crop which takes up 

 moisture without working the soil for the greater moisture conversa- 

 tion which hoed crops require. In choice of hoed crops be gov- 

 erned by what you can use to advantage, either for house or the 

 feeding of animals, or what you can grow that is salable with least 

 loss of moisture in the soil. The choice is governed entirely by 

 local conditions, except that leguminous plants — peas, beans, vetches, 

 clovers, etc. — do take nitrogen from the atmosphere and can thus 

 be grown with least injury and sometimes with a positive benefit 

 to the fertility of the soil. 



Regular Bearing of Fruit Trees. 



How can trees be induced to bear regularly instead of bearing exces- 

 sively on alternate years? 



The most rational view is that in order to bear regularly the 

 tree must be prevented from overbearing by thinning of the fruit; 

 also that the moisture and plant-food supply must be regularly 

 maintained, so that the tree may work along regularly and not stop 

 bearing one year in order to accumulate vigor for a following year's 

 crop. There is some reason to believe that some trees which seem 

 to overbear every year can be prolonged in their profitable life and 

 made to produce a moderate amount of fruit of large size and 

 higher value by sharp thinning to prevent overbearing at any time. 

 This is found clearly practicable in the cases of the apricot, peach, 

 pear, apple, table grape, shipping plum, etc., because the added 

 value of larger fruits is greater than the cost of removing the sur- 

 plus. 



Scions from Young Trees. 



/ have bought some one-year-old apple trees that are certified pedigree 

 trees. Would it be practical to take the tops of these trees and graft on 

 one-year seedlings and get the same results as from the trees I bought? 

 Will they bear just as good, or is it necessary to take the scions from 

 old bearing trees? 



They will bear exactly the same fruit as the young trees will, 

 but you cannot tell how good that will be until you get the fruit. 

 The advantage of scions from bearing trees is that you know exactly 

 what you will get, for, presumably, you have seen and approved it. 



Late Pruning. 



Will I do injury to my peach trees if I delay pruning until the last of 

 February, or until the sap begins to run and the buds to swell? 



It will not do any particular harm to let your peach pruning 

 go until the buds swell or even after the leaves appear. Late prun- 

 ing is not injurious, but rather more inconvenient. 



