76 CROPPING THE ORCHARD 



vation. Hay competes at every step with the young trees, robbing 

 them of moisture and plant food when they most need them, and 

 providing excellent conditions for injurious insects of various 

 kinds, and when the hay is harvested the trees are liable to all 

 sorts of accidents from the mowing machine, the rake, and the 

 hay wagons. If you are tempted to use hay, by all means resist 

 the temptation ! 



QUESTIONS 



1. What are the characteristics of an ideal companion crop for the 



orchard ? 



2. How many years should such crops be used in the orchard? 



3. How should the land along the tree rows be treated? 



Discuss each of the following as companion crops for orchards: 



4. Beans. 12. Currants and gooseberries, 



5. Squash. 13. Strawberries. 



6. Cabbage. 14. Asparagus. 



7. Turnips and mangels. 15. Raspberries and blackberries. 



8. Potatoes. 16. Nursery stock. 



9. Truck crops. 17. Grains. 



10. Corn. 18. Hay. 



11. Buckwheat. 



