52 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



them good continuous cultivation. Then for another quarter of a 

 century -the trees were allowed to stand in grass, or in sod, the grass 

 being cut a portion of the time for hay, then followed afterward as 

 a pasture for pigs. Ten years ago 1 found that the trees were begin- 

 ning to show some signs of decline and the fruit growing consider- 

 ably smaller in size, and bearing less in quantity; I determined to 

 plow the land and put it again under cultivation. 



In plowing an old orchard that has long stood in sod the work 

 should be most carefully done. It will not do to cut the roots of 

 such trees severely for it will result in causing a check to the trees. 

 The land in this instance was plowed in not more than three to four 

 inches in depth. The object was not to attempt to tin-n a furrow 

 but rather to break the sod; this was followed by a spring tooth 

 harrow, which loosened and tore the sod in pieces, and in time 

 made the soil loose and fine. 



The following season the orchard was plowed again, very shallow, 

 early in the spring; it was also cultivated with the harrow until 

 about July 1st, when we sowed crimson clover. This was done 

 for several reasons; to incorporate in the soil a large amount of 

 humus or vegetable matter which it needed. This is one of the 

 great needs of our orchard soil — more vegetable matter. The 

 second object was to enable the soil to better conserve and utilize 

 its moisture and to add to it in its best and cheapest form, nitrogen, 

 which is the most essential element of food for old trees, for it stimu- 

 lates new growth. 



My fir.st attempt in getting a growth of clover Avas somewhat dis- 

 appointing, and had I stopped with the first year's results the system 

 of clover culture, which I have since carried on extensively and 

 which has been so successful and satisfactory, would have been a 

 failure. I kept on sowing the seed each year until I now have no 

 difficulty in getting a good growth, almost regardless of the character 

 of the season. The chart upon which is shown the timothy and 

 clover plants presents a mo.st important Ics.son. The timothy, red 

 top, and native grasses generally found in the orchard, as is shown 

 by the illustration on the chart, have a system of fine surface feed- 

 ing roots, which consume an immense quantity of water from the 

 soil daily. We have but slight conception of the amount of water 

 which is required for an acre of grass each day; it is over one bun- 



