118 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



Sod Method of Redncing 



It is never advisable to plant orchai'd 

 trees in fresh sod. In preparing sod 

 land, it is best to plow in mid-summer 

 and cross-plow it again in the tall, leav- 

 ing it in the rough through the winter. 

 Fall plowing is advantageous in any case, 

 as it helps to destroy many insect pests 

 such as cutworms and also insures a 

 thorough pulverizing of the soil. Early 

 in the spring the ground should be disked 

 and harrowed until it is mellow. It Is 

 also advisable to go over it again with the 

 harrow just before planting to destroy 

 any weeds that have started. Many or- 

 chardists follow the plan of plowing the 

 ground in long narrow lands, back-fur- 

 rowing just the width desired for a tree 

 row and leaving the dead furrow where 

 the line of trees is to run. After the 

 trees are set the ground is again back- 

 furrowed, this time throwing the dirt 

 towards the trees. The general experi- 

 ence of the older orchard sections is in 

 favor of the level system. 



A. T. Erwix, 

 G. R. Bliss, 



Ames, Iowa. 



Deep preparation of orchard land a 

 year or two previous to setting trees is 

 highly desirable. Wet places should be 

 drained and perhaps limed. Poorer soils 

 should also be well fertilized and have 

 the manures worked deeply into the soil. 

 Special attention must be given to thin 

 places. Such preparation favors a vigor- 

 ous start and a deep running root sys- 

 tem. 



Ernest Walker, 

 Fayetteville. Ark. 



Time to Prepare 



The autumn months are regarded as 

 the best time to prepare all lands that 

 are to be planted to apple orchards. This 

 exposes the land to the ameliorating ef- 

 fects of frosts, allowing such soil to catch 

 and hold the rainfall of winter, and per- 

 mits the subsoil to become sufficiently 

 settled to re-establish capillary action be- 

 tween it and the lower soil strata while 

 still keeping the soil in loose condition 

 for the deep penetration of the roots. If 

 the autumn preparation is thoroughly 



done, the stirring of the surface is all 

 that will be needed in the spring. 



J. R. Shixn, 

 Moscow, Idaho. 



Preparatory Cropping 



The thorough preparation of the land 

 should be regarded as a very important 

 element in planting an orchard. An ap- 

 ple orchard is very different in its re- 

 quirements from an annual crop; yet how 

 frequently does it occur that the land for 

 it receives even less attention than does 

 the land for corn or wheat? Many pros- 

 pective orchardists propound as their first 

 question, "How are we going to rid the 

 land of sagebrush or stumps for setting 

 our trees?" They think when this mat- 

 ter has received attention that trees may 

 be set at once. While it is true that 

 some lands may be turned over and plant- 

 ed immediately, yet most experienced 

 growers and observers regard the prac- 

 tice as of doubtful value. The wiser 

 plan is to anticipate planting two or three 

 years in advance and devote this time to 

 growing a rotation of crops which will 

 bring the soil into the best state of cul- 

 tivation. After the roots of the trees 

 have taken possession of the soil, deep 

 plowing can not be done; and as this is 

 essential the soil should be plowed 

 deeply before planting. For arid lands 

 in sagebrush sections the need of organic 

 matter in the soil is apparent to the cas- 

 ual observer, and no crops act so bene- 

 ficially in increasing this organic matter 

 as alfalfa or clover. After clearing new 

 lands alfalfa or clover may be sown, 

 which should be allowed to remain one or 

 two seasons, after which it is turned 

 under. By virtue of their extensive root 

 systems, better crops than these are not 

 known for breaking up soils underlaid 

 with stiff clay. Where soils are suffici- 

 ently supplied with organic matter there 

 is less need for the above practice. New 

 ground, however rich, needs to be sub- 

 dued before trees are set upon it. Such 

 lands are apt to be full of inequalities; 

 hence every effort should be made to dis- 

 cover and remed.v the poor spots that need 

 manuring and the wet spots that need 

 drainage, so that the trees when planted 



