ORCHARDS 229 



little grass or weeds that grow near the trunk are of no 

 consequence. Under any ordinary circumstances, a few 

 feet of untilled land about the base of large trees does no 

 harm. 



Apple orchards will stand more abuse than most kinds 

 of trees, so that they are frequently grown in sod. They 

 should ordinarily be tilled. The effects of tillage are 

 strikingly shown in New York state. Five hundred and 

 sixty-four orchards in Orleans county, containing 4,881 

 acres, were examined. The average yields and incomes 

 from these orchards for five years are shown below: 1 



YIELD PER ACRE OF TILLED AND SOD APPLE ORCHARDS, FIVE-YEAR 

 AVERAGES (1900-1904), ORLEANS COUNTY, N. Y. 



Average 

 yield 



Average 

 income 



Bus. 



Tilled ten years or more 327 



Tilled five years or more \ 274 



Tilled over half of preceding five years 225 



Sod over half of preceding five years 222 



Sod five years or more 204 



Sod ten years or more 176 



$182 

 138 

 113 

 107 

 108 

 87 



The sod orchards that were used as pastures for hogs 

 or sheep were better than the average, but not so good as 

 the tilled ones. There are, of course, many conditions 

 under which tillage is not desirable, such as orchards on 

 steep hillsides. 



215. Spraying Orchards. Spraying is now a regular 

 practice of the best fruit-growers, but the majority of 

 orchards are still unsprayed. The particular treatment 

 varies with the kind of fruit and the region. Peaches and 



New York (Cornell) Bulletin No. 229. 



