Mistakes in Orchard Culture. 169 



the fall rains. We may, therefore, sow some catch 

 or cover crop. (See Chapter IV.) 



4. Till in such manner that the land shall be 

 in uniformly fine tilth. Every good farmer knows that 

 the value of his crop depends more upon the tilth 

 of the soil than upon the mere richness of it. Fer- 

 tility is largely locked up in poorly tilled lands. 

 Orchards which are plowed late in spring are usu- 

 ally in bad condition all the season, especially if the 

 soil is clay. Fall plowing upon stiff and bare lands 

 is apt to result in the puddling of the soil by the 

 rain and snow, as already explained; 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 catch crop. 



5. Remember that tillage may be overdone. Trees 

 may be made to grow too much wood, and there- 

 fore too little fruit, and they may be sent into the 

 winter in soft and unripened condition. If land is 

 in good tilth, as it is when in best condition for 

 the growing of potatoes or melons, tillage beyond 

 that needed to conserve the moisture is useless ; and 

 even this conservation -tillage may well stop in late 

 summer in very many cases, as already indicated 

 It is a common practice to severely head -in trees 

 which are making a too vigorous growth, but this 

 practice usually aggravates the difficulty rather than 

 corrects it. The fundamental treatment for such 

 trees is to check the growth by some means, as by 

 lessening the tillage or by withholding stimulating 

 fertilizers. 



