244 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



be followed by thoroughly working clown 

 the surface with disc or similar tool to 

 chop lip the crop and pack the soil down 

 to preserve the moisture. Continue the 

 surface tillage from now on until August, 

 and seed again to cover crop if necessary. 

 The depth at which the surface work- 

 ing tool should run has been carefully 

 tested out both in the laboratory and in 

 the orchard. As a result of these tests 

 we find that from three and a half to 

 four inches of dust mulch is as effective 

 to conserve moisture as 10 or 12 inches. 



W. S. TlIORXBER 



From a Connecticut Vieir Point 



Where Rainfall Is Light — Under the 

 system of clean culture, cultivation com- 

 mences as soon as the soil may be worked 

 in the spring and continues till about 

 the middle of August. It is recommended 

 especially for sections where the rainfall 

 is light during the growing season. By 

 maintaining a loose dust mulch on the 

 surface the system is very effective in 

 conserving moisture. On the other hand 

 the continuous cultivation tends to de- 

 plete the supply of plant food and humus, 

 or decaying vegetable matter. To main- 

 tain the fertility of the soil under this 

 system requires liberal applications of 

 stable manure or some substitute. This 

 system, as practiced by some growers, is 

 very similar to tillage with cover crops, 

 and gives fairly good results. These 

 growers cease cultivating about the mid- 

 dle of July or the first of August and 

 allow the weeds to grow up and cover 

 the ground. The weeds here assume the 

 function of a cover crop. Clean culture 

 alone not recommended. The clean cul- 

 ture system, pure and simple, is not 

 recommended for Connecticut. 



Time — The early spring plowing should 

 be followed by repeated cultivations. The 

 aim should be to keep a deep, loose soil- 

 mulch on the surface. The most success- 

 ful apple growers harrow their orchards 

 every eight or ten days during this period, 

 and oftener, if rains occur in the interim. 

 This treatment liberates plant food, saves 

 moisture, and keeps the weeds down. Any 

 tool that will keep the surface loose is 



suitable for this purpose. About July 

 1.5th cultivation should cease and the 

 ground be sown to some good cover crop, 

 to be plowed under in the following 

 spring. 



A good cover crop should make suffi- 

 cient growth to protect the ground during 

 the winter and spring and to sui)ply 

 abundant vegetable matter, which, when 

 turned under, will improve the physical 

 condition of the soil and will contribute 

 plant food. The clovers and winter 

 vetches are very suitable for this pur- 

 pose. These crops are nitrogen gatherers 

 and if a large growth is produced and 

 turned under each year, there should be 

 no need for the application of nitrogenous 

 fertilizers. On the contrary, by repeated 

 cover cropping it is possible, especially in 

 later years, to produce too much wood 

 growth. In which case, instead of plow- 

 ing under the cover crop, it may be 

 mowed and left on the ground. The ob- 

 ject should be to produce a normal and 

 uninterrupted annual growth. Trees that 

 grow too fast are more likely to be in- 

 jured by severe winters, to have a weak 

 root system, and to form a structure that 

 is not sufficiently strong to bear the 

 weight of large crops of fruit. Most fruit 

 growers, however, are more likely to err 

 in the other direction and allow their 

 trees to become stunted, from which con- 

 dition they nia3' never recover. 



Grass Mnlcli on Hillsides 



On rugged hillsides where there would 

 be danger of washing, the necessity for 

 retaining a sod cover is undisputed. In 

 view of the difficulty of conducting the 

 spraying and harvesting operations on 

 steep hillsides, it is very doubtful whether 

 such land should ever be chosen for or- 

 chard purposes. It is probable that a com- 

 bination of the mulch and tillage sys- 

 tems will be found most useful for New 

 England conditions. The important 

 thing to remember at this time is that, 

 regardless of what system the grower in- 

 tends to follow, the preparation of the 

 land is essentially the same. On steep 

 hillsides, however, where cultivation is 

 not feasible, the trees may be set in the 

 sod and small circles cultivated around 



