mS in Southern Sweden in 

 dard trees. Perhaps its 



Ainarp 1 



Selected in the nurseries of the Ainarp Garden 

 1^?0. It is very winter hardy but makes semi-standar u i,rcc3. rci na 

 greatest potential in America is as the understock of interstem trees. 



Antonovka 



A winter hardy Russian cultivar. The seedlings of Antonovka are quite 

 uniform and more winter hardy than seedlings of Malus domestic a which were 

 used almost exclusively as apple rootstocks in Poland until l'^20-l°30. 

 Antonovka is currently heavily used in Poland as rootstocks and hardy stem- 

 pieces. It is being tested in the United States, including Massachusetts, 

 as the rootstock on interstem trees. 



POMOLOGICAL PARAGRAPH 

 William J. Lord 



Soil preparation prior to planting . Frequently, hay fields and pastures ^r^ 

 planted to fruit trees without soil preparation. Since most growers do not 

 irrigate or heavily mulch the trees, the lack of soil preparation often is 

 the cause of poor growth the year of planting. Wherever possible, it is 

 desirable to plant fruit trees in tilled strips, regardless of the soil 

 management followed later. An alternative to the tilled strips particularly 

 where the soil is stony is the use of herbicide strips. 



Paraquat* or Roundup* can be applied in late summer in 4- to 6-foot 

 wide strips where the trees are to be planted. The herbicide can be applied 

 again in late fall or the strips rototilled. If the strips are rototilled 

 they can be "worked-up" again prior to planting in the spring. 



On newly cleared land and soils which are low in fertility and at^ not 

 too stony or likely to erode badly, it is advisable to build up the soil by 

 seeding and plowing or disking under cover crops before planting trees. 

 Spring oats, buckwheat, or millet can be sown as the summer cover crop and 

 spring oats for the winter cover crop. This is an opportune time to apply 

 lime because it can be incorporated into the soil during the disking of the 

 cover crops. Perennial weeds such as brambles, sumac, and sprouts of hard- 

 wood trees may be on newly-cleared land and should he treated with an her- 

 bicide the season before planting. 



When the trees are planted, a mixture of grass seed and oats can be 

 sown. During the summer, the oats can be cut and let lie or be raked around 

 the trees for mulch. 



On a fairly level site which is not subject to serious erosion, it may 

 be possible to interplant with low growing crops, such as pumpkins, for 

 "pick-your-own" or roadside stand sales. These crops can be grown for a few 

 years to help defray the cost of caring for the young trees until they come 

 into production. The rows of the cultivated crops should not be planted so 

 close to the tree rows that they interfere with growth of the young trees. 

 Intercrops in a young orchard should be considered as a temporary enterprise 

 and they should be discontinued just as soon as they interfere with tree 

 growth and care. 



•"irade name 



