FRUIT CULTURE 129 



that we will get our investment back in the ease in caring for the 

 plantation. So I would urge people not to plant less than forty 

 feet apart unless they have a light soil and are planting the smaller 

 growing varieties. 



Just another point on the matter of planting, and that is the 

 question of fillers. Mr. Wheeler spoke very enthusiastically on 

 that, and I want to endorse what he said as to the use of small 

 fruits as an inter-crop in the orchard. I think they are excellent. 

 We have found at Amherst that the early bearing trees used as 

 fillers was a good way to occupy the land. We have set Baldwins 

 for example as the standard trees, and Wageners or Wealthies as 

 fillers, thinking we were getting more from the land in that way 

 than in any other. If the man was a farmer, that might not be 

 true, because he might be able to plant some other crops between 

 his standards and get more than he would get with the fillers. 



Now, coming to my second point, cultivation, I want to urge 

 every one who is starting a commercial orchard, to grow some crop 

 in the orchard. I think for the good of the orchard we ought to 

 grow some other crop among the trees. I do not think it is feasi- 

 ble to grow the orchard solely as an orchard, and cultivate the land 

 between the trees merely for the good of the trees. I heard Mr. 

 M. C. Burritt, of the Tribune Farmer, of New York, speak at 

 Amherst, and he said that they had a number of orchards in that 

 State where the inter-crop had paid in eight years the cost of the 

 orchard. If that can be done it is a long step towards making the 

 orchard pay, and I should always grow some crop between the 

 trees. When it comes to the crop to grow, it is very difficult to 

 give specific advice. We have found at Amherst that corn, pota- 

 toes, beans, and cabbage are most satisfactory crops. 



Then, on this matter of cultivation, is the question of cover 

 crops, that is, the crops to be grown on the land, and sown 

 the latter part of the season. And while that is in a way an old 

 question, it seems to me that we do not (at least I am sure it is so 

 in my case) appreciate the importance of it; and there are a good 

 many things about it that we do not as yet know. The orchard 

 I happen to be interested in, the land is rather light, and it is of 

 course important that we keep plenty of humus in the soil, and 

 unless you have plenty of manure, it means large growing cover 



