Sod vs. Tillage 71 



cultivation. A good system of culture, namely, cultiva- 

 ting the orchard every two weeks until midsummer, then 

 seeding down with crimson clover, has given practically 

 as good results on yield of fruit and growth of tree as that 

 obtained by the addition of a complete fertilizer or when 

 either phosphoric acid, potash, or nitrogen are used in 

 excess in the complete fertilizer." 



The experiments of Picket in New Hampshire on the 

 formation of fruit-buds by different methods of soil- 

 treatment (Bull. No. 153) give comparable results as the 

 consequence of three years' test. Some of the deduc- 

 tions are that "thorough cultivation throughout the season 

 from May 15 to September 1, without the addition of 

 cover-crop or fertilizer, resulted in the production of three 

 times as many blossoms (fruit-buds) and somewhat more 

 than three times as much fruit as no cultivation (sod). 

 Clean cultivation throughout the season produced con- 

 siderably fewer fruit-buds and a noticeably smaller crop 

 of fruit than cultivation till July 10, with a cover-crop of 

 crimson clover sown with the last cultivation and plowed 

 under the following spring. The results indicate that clean 

 cultivation till July 10, followed by a cover-crop of crimson 

 clover, alternating every other year with a stand of mixed 

 clover and grass sown early in the spring, may produce a 

 sufficient number of fruit-buds for a satisfactory crop. 

 This cannot be conclusively shown till the experiments 

 have progressed at least one more season. Cultivation 

 and cover-crop one year in three produced only two-thirds 

 as many fruit-buds and one-half as many apples as cultiva- 

 tion two years in three. Cultivation and cover-crop one 

 year in three doubled the production of fruit-buds and 

 increased the crop of apples three times compared with 

 no cultivation at all. Cultivation and cover-crop two years 



