How to Till 101 



The above advice follows what is practically the 

 universal experience in the North, that the late growth of 

 trees in autumn, particularly of the tenderer fruits as 

 peaches, is likely to produce a soft or immature condition 

 that may render the tree liable to severe injury by winter 

 cold. Chandler finds, however, that one of the ways in 

 which to avoid injury to fruit-buds by the cold "spells" 

 of late winter and early spring in the region of south 

 Missouri and in similar climates is to prolong the rest- 

 period of the variety so that it will not swell its buds so 

 early. He finds that with peaches the different varieties 

 have rather definite rest-periods, at the expiration of 

 which the buds start very readily. Anything that tends 

 to make a strong late growth in the autumn has the 

 effect of postponing or delaying this rest-period. This 

 prolonging of the growth in fall is accomplished by prun- 

 ing the trees severely either that year or the year before, 

 and also by the use of nitrogenous fertilizers the preceding 

 spring. These statements have reference only to the 

 killing of the fruit-buds when they start prematurely, and 

 probably does not affect the usual experience in regard to 

 the winter-hardiness of the wood or tree itself. Frost- 

 injury is again considered in Chapter VIII. 



4. Operate in such way that the land shall be in uni- 

 formly fine tilth. Orchards plowed late in spring are 

 usually in bad condition all the season, especially if the 

 soil is clay. Fall-plowing of stiff and bare lands is likely 

 to result in the puddling of the soil by the rain and snow, 

 as already explained (p. 83) ; if there is sod on the land, 

 this injury is less likely to follow. In general, it is best 

 to let orchard lands pass the winter under a cover-crop. 



5. Tillage may be overdone. Trees may be made to 

 grow too much wood, and therefore too little fruit, and they 



