26S 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



We make It a hard and fast rule that 

 no crop is placed closer than four feet 

 from the trees. Thus eight feet or more 

 is thoroughly cultivated. Hoeing alone 

 is poor cultivation and it does not pay 

 to just hoe a circle around the trees and 

 put crops on the balance pf the land. 



We practice clean culture the first year 

 and seed in the fall with winter wheat. 

 After the crop is harvested the stubble 

 is plowed in the fall and remains rough 

 over winter. In the spring of the third 

 year the land is prepared and peas are 

 planted for hogs and seed. The fourth 

 year potatoes are planted on the pea 

 land. We have experimented with and 

 grown many other crops, among them, 

 winter vetch for cow, hay and seed, clover 

 for hay, lentils for seed, treet, rye, oats 

 and garden truck. 



Rye, wheat and oats have given the best 

 net returns but never more than one crop 

 in the orchard is allowed. One crop of 

 any of the three will not injure the orch- 

 ard or land one iota. Some places we 

 have had better success, no doubt due to 



the fact that the orchard could be covered 

 sooner after a rain with the cultivator 

 than where all the land had to be culti- 

 vated, in the clean culture method. 



Wheat — The total cost of the care of 

 the orchard, growing, harvesting and mar- 

 keting the wheat crop on 1.245 acres was 

 $12,469.86. The wheat crop brought $14,- 

 263.86 or a gain of $1,794.00 or $1.44 per 

 acre above the entire cost of orchard and 

 crop. It cost $11,426.16 or $6.43 per acre 

 to take care of 1,777 acres of orchard in 

 about the same condition as the orchard 

 having the wheat crop. Therefore the 

 actual gain was $1.44 plus $6.43 or $7.87 

 per acre. 



Peas — Figuring on the same basis, peas 

 gave a net gain of $2.23 per acre. This is 

 not a large gain, but when it is considered 

 that the soil was improved, it is actually 

 a large gain. 



Potatoes — Potatoes cost us in the pit 

 and storage 38 cents per hundred weight. 



Winter Vetch — We have had fair suc- 

 cess raising vetch hay and seed, but the 

 greatest benefit has been derived from the 



^SiJ^^^imas, 



In till' Spring ot the Third Year I'eas .\re Planted. 



