APPLES 



245 



them with a grubbing hoe. Even in such 

 cases it would be better to break up the 

 sod over the whole area and immediately 

 reseed the land to clover. 



Sod Culture for Jfew Eugrlaiid 



This system in its most ruinous form 

 is the one commonly practiced in New 

 England, and is largely responsible for 

 the unproductive condition of the ordi- 

 nary farmer's orchard. The apple spec- 

 ialists, as a rule, favor the tillage sys- 

 tem, yet there are many commercial 

 growers who hold to some form of sod 

 culture. The special advantage of sod 

 culture is the possibility of producing 

 fruit of better color, but this is probably 

 offset by the possibility of increasing the 

 yield by means of tillage. It is remark- 

 able that fruit from sod orchards has 

 carried off many of the premiums at 

 recent fruit exhibitions in the East. This 

 is especially true at fall fairs that are 

 held too early for winter varieties grown 

 under cultivation. The main purpose of 

 growing apples, however, is not to win 

 premiums and the man who tills his or- 

 chard must get his reward in higher 

 profits. The questions for the grower to 

 settle are, which system is best suited 

 to his conditions — his location, his soil, 

 his markets, and his other interests — 

 and which will give him the best return 

 for the capital invested. 



There are probably many orchards in 

 New England situated upon washy slopes 

 where some form of sod culture is the 

 only feasible method. It is probable, also, 

 that many more of the rugged and washy 

 hillsides will eventually be planted to 

 apples. This need not concern us now. 

 however, for there are thousands of acres 

 of ideal orchard land available in every 

 state of New England, and so long as 

 this condition prevails, it would seem ad- 

 visable to select for orcharding land upon 

 which the regular operations may be most 

 conveniently and expeditiously performed. 

 There is often more or less washing, how- 

 ever, on some of the gentle slopes, es- 

 pecially where the soil is of an imner- 

 vious nature. Serious trouble from this 

 cause usually may be prevented by cover 

 propping or by leaving strips of sod along 



or between the rows of trees and at right 

 angles to the slope. 



C. D. Jarvi.s, 

 Storrs, Cuun. 



TOOLS FOR ORCHARD CULTIVATION 



Steel Plow — One of the first tools which 

 the orchardist needs is the ordinary 

 steel turning plow. This is needed es- 

 pecially in breaking up the hard soil at 

 a greater depth than any other plow 

 will break it: it is needed in turning 

 under a coating of manure. If cover 

 crops are grown it is needed in turning 

 them under, and for cutting roots there 

 is no other implement used in the orchard 

 with which the work can be done so well. 



Fig. 1. A Single Disc of the Spade of Cut- 

 away Type. 



Disc — Another implement is the disc, 

 which does not turn the soil, but cuts 

 it, loosens and stirs it. There are two 

 kinds of discs in use — one of these, which 

 is called the spade or cut-away disc, is 

 cut into several sections and acts on the 

 soil much after the manner of the hand 

 spade. This implement is considered bet- 

 ter on hard soils than the other, which 

 is called the concave disc and cuts away 

 the soil as it rolls over the ground in- 

 stead of spading it. This is perhaps bet- 

 ter on light, loose soils where there are 

 no obstructions, but it is not good on 

 rocky land, or on land where there is 

 brush, weeds, pruning, or such like things 

 on the surface, or on lands that are hard 

 and compact. These discs are now so 



