CULTIVATION 81 



claiming that their method gives so much more fniit that they 

 can afford to have the extra expense. 



Cultivation. — Now let us look at the arguments which are 

 advanced in favor of cultivation : 



1. It conserves soil moisture better. It is difficult to see 

 how any reasonable man can doubt this. The sod advocates 

 attempt to offset it by saying that the sod will so much more 

 effectively prevent the rains from running off that they can 

 afford to lose some moisture, but this argument does not quite 

 " hold water " when put to a test. As a matter of fact several 

 of the arguments in favor of sod, such as better color and better 

 keeping quality, are based directly on the fact that the sod 

 orchard does not have as much moisture. When one remembers 

 how all-important moisture is to the orchard and how frequently 

 fruit and trees are damaged from the lack of it, he "can appreciate 

 the importance of the moisture argument as advanced by the 

 cultivation men. It seems to be the very backbone of the cultiva- 

 tion side of the controversy. With light soils of poor water- 

 holding capacity, this one argument seems about all that it is 

 necessary to produce. The soils and locations are relatively few 

 where lack of moisture does not, at some time during the year, 

 interfere with the best development of a crop of fruit. 



2. It renders soil fertility more available ; or perhaps we 

 should reverse that and say it renders more soil fertility avail- 

 able. It does this by letting in the air and moisture and 

 generally by keeping the soil conditions favorable for chemical 

 and bacterial action. This is a point not always conceded, but 

 the arguments for cultivation seem very conclusive. With the 

 high cost of fertility it is certainly a strong argument. 



3. Cultivation permits the use of leg-uminous cover crops to 

 furnish nitrogen for the orchard. This is also a strong argument 

 and one not easily disproved. It is quite possible through such 

 crops as clovers and soybeans to add all the nitrogen necessary 

 to an orchard soil. Since nitrogen is by far the highest priced 

 element in fertilizers, a method that " works while you sleep " 

 is certainly welcome to the man who pays the bills. The only 

 chance for the sod-culture orchardist in this direction is the 



