54 FRUIT CULTURE. 



"it cultivated, manured, and cropped with any green crops, 

 but not with corn. Such cultivation may be done by 

 horses, if great care is taken not to rub or damage the 

 trees, and also not to plough too deeply near to them. 

 If the trees are set out evenly, and in true lines in all 

 directions, most of the ground may be covered by such 

 horse cultivation, by crossing in two or three directions, 

 but there will always be some ground near to the tree not 

 moved. This must be treated by hand. It will require 

 hoeing in summer to keep clear of the weeds, and should 

 be forked over in the winter, or dug lightly with the 

 spade. 



MIXED PLANTATIONS. 



The cultivation here will much depend upon what is 

 planted, and how closely. If bush apples, pears or plums 

 are planted, with no strawberries between, it will be pos- 

 sible to use the hoe or scarifier for the first year or two, 

 but it is hardly possible to use the plough to advantage in 

 such plantations. If the intervening land between the 

 trees be filled up with strawberries or other more perma- 

 nent ground crop, hand cultivation entirely will have to 

 be resorted to. In any case the work will have to be done 

 principally by hand. This weeding, forking, and digging 

 of the plantations is usually performed by piece work, 

 the prices of which are given in Chap. VII. 'Manure is 

 applied according to the nature of the soil, the crop, and 

 the growth of the trees. It is well to arrange this, if 

 possible, in rotation ; taking, for instance, the third of a 

 plantation each year. 



