GOOD COMPANION CROPS 



71 



Good Companion Crops. 1. Beans. Any variety will be 

 satisfactory to the orchard, but especially the white pea-bean. 

 The soybean is also admirable. There is almost no objec- 

 tion to these crops. They are usually profitable, are sown late, 

 add nitrogen to the soil, and no damage arises from their use. 

 When removed from the orchard the root systems are usually 

 left in the soil, which adds both humus and nitrogen. 



2. Squash is another excellent crop, coming .along with a 

 rush late in the season when the orchard ought to " sober 

 down," never competing with the trees, and frequently giving 



FIG. 31. Squashes as an orchard crop. They are an excellent crop from the standpoint 

 of the orchard and where the owner can handle them rightly are usually profitable. 



good financial returns. It can be marketed in a wholesale way, 

 which is not true of all crops and which is frequently a decided 

 advantage to the orchard owner (Fig. 31). 



3. Cabbage. This is another decidedly satisfactory com- 

 panion crop. It usually commands a fair price and can be 

 handled in car-load lots if the orchard is of some size. It is 

 nearly ideal so far as its effect on the trees is concerned. The 

 only objection to it is that it requires cultivation later than the 

 trees do, but if the strip already spoken of is reserved there is 

 usually no trouble. 



