Plowing Orchards. 157 



erally advisable to turn the land rather deep with a 

 plow at the first spring cultivation. For the subse- 

 quent cultivation of the season, there are many styles 

 of clod crushers, spring- tooth harrows, cut-aways and 

 smoothing harrows, which adapt themselves readily to 

 the cultivation of the particular soil in question. 

 There is no single style of tool which is best for all 

 soils or for all years. As a general statement, it may 

 be said that for all heavy lands the fruit-grower 

 needs four types of harrows, the cut-away, or 

 spading -harrow type for hard land, and the first 

 spring work ; the spring -tooth type, the Acme or 

 clod -crusher type, and the smoothing -harrow type. 

 The last is to be used only to make and maintain the 

 surface mulch after the land has been got in fine 

 tilth. In all friable or loose soils, shallow cultivation 

 is always preferable. When the land is once in good 

 condition, but little effort and time are required to 

 run through the orchard. Crust should never be al- 

 lowed to form upon the surface, and weeds should be 

 killed before they become firmly established. The 

 entire surface of the orchard should be thoroughly 

 stirred as often as once in ten days or two weeks 

 whilst the tillage lasts. 



In general, level culture is best. This is secured 

 by plowing one year to the trees and the following 

 year away from them; one year north and south, and 

 the next year east and west. It is somewhat difficult 

 to plow away from large trees, however, and with the 

 cultivators or harrows now in use, it is easy to work 

 the soil away by subsequent cultivation, allowing the 



