Roots and Tillage 



99 



trees suffered by the destruction of roots in the heat and 

 drought of summer or the cold of winter cannot be said. 

 In the tilled land the roots were found in greatest abun- 

 dance at a depth of from 3 to 10 inches. The circumfer- 

 ence of the root-systems in the tilled trees is approxi- 

 mately circular, but the circumference of the roots of the 

 trees in sod is very irre- 

 gular, indicating a reach- 

 ing out of a part of the 

 roots in response to a 

 demand for more mois- 

 ture, food, or air, or to 

 escape some evil effect of 

 the grass roots." 



In young orchards, 

 then, it is commonly best 

 to plow rather 

 deep say 6 

 to 8 inches 

 in order to 

 send the roots 

 down. Of 

 course, the 

 plow should 



not be run deep close to the trunk of the tree. The 

 careful plowman will turn out his plow when he comes 

 close to the tree. This deep plowing for a few years 

 will ameliorate the land, establish the root-habit of the 

 tree, and obviate much of the necessity of laborious plow- 

 ing in after years. 



2. Tillage should be begun early in the season, in 

 orchards. Trees complete most of their growth in length 

 by the first of July. Early tillage saves the moisture which 



FIG. 21. The deep roots (above) in tilled land, and the very 

 shallow roots in sod land. 



