CHAPTER IX. 





COVER CROPS. 

 WINTER AND SPRING CARE. 



Orchards, as -well as folks, need winter overcoats. John Tucker. 



The seven important advantages of a cover crop 

 in the orchard are : 1st, to supply nitrogen and 

 organic matter or humus to the soil ; 2d, to improve 

 the mechanical condition of the soil, i. e. , to lighten 

 a heavy soil or make a light soil more retentive of 

 moisture ; 3d, to protect the roots from being injured 

 by deep freezing ; 4th, to prevent the fine particles of 

 soil and plant food from being washed away during 

 the fall, winter and spring ; 5th, to catch and hold 

 snow and leaves ; 6th, to help check late growth of 

 trees in the fall, and thus aid wood growth to harden 

 up for winter ; and, 7th, to pump the surplus water 

 out of the soil in early spring so that the ground may 

 sooner get into condition for plowing. 



An orchard cover crop is a crop sown to cover the 

 ground during that portion of the year when very 

 little or not any growth is being made by fruit trees. 

 If a man makes no effort to cover the ground with 

 economic plants, then Nature steps in and starts 

 weeds and grass in the endeavor to protect the soil. 

 Cover crops are usually sown just before the last 

 cultivation of an orchard about August first. Some- 

 times as early as July, or as late as early September. 



There are practically two classes of plants which 

 the orchardist may use for the purpose of securing 



(75) 



