1914 FUUITS OF ONTARIO.. 17 



cheeks the evaporation of moisture from below. Cultivation renders plant food more 

 readily available by promoting nitrification and the decomposition of organic matter 

 in the soil. 



Knowing this to be the case, many growers have given thorough cultivation a fair 

 trial, and have satisfied themselves that for most sections of Ontario clean cultivation 

 with cover crops is more profitable than sod. There are indeed few cases where sod 

 is more desirable than cultivation; these are where the soil is fertile and contains an 

 abundant supply of moisture. 



As soon as possible after the trees are set, a strip on each side should be cultivated 

 to loosen up the soil which has been tramped down during planting. Each year this 

 strip should be widened, so that no crop intended for harvesting is grown beneath the 

 branches of the trees. 



Cultivation should begin as early as the ground is dry enough in the spring. The 

 first tool to be used in most cases is the plow. It is well to plow the land about five 

 inches deep during the first few years after setting to encourage deep rooting. As the 

 trees get older the depth of plowing should be gradually ler:ned, until by the time 

 the orchard is in full bearing, three to four inches is sufficient. 



COVER CROPS. 



The value of growing cover crops in the orchard is being more appreciated every 

 year by fruit growers who in times past viewed with alarm the injury which occurred 

 from root killing where the soil was bare in winter. A cover crop is a covering of 

 vegetation in the orchard during the latter part of summer and early winter, and is 

 useful in many ways, of which the following are some of the most important: (1) A 

 cover crop, by adding a large amount of fibre to the land, prevents hard soils from 

 cementing or puddling. (2) On bare and rolling land, where the rains quickly run off 

 and snows blow off the high portions, a growing crop tends to hold these until they 

 have time to soak into the soil. (3) Land covered by a growing crop dries out more 

 quickly in the spring, owing to the transpiration of moisture through the leaves, and 

 consequently may be plowed under earlier in the season than land which is bare. 

 This is a very important point, as it enables the orchardist to gain several days in the 

 busy season of spring. (4) Ground covered with vegetation will hold the snows in 

 winter and thus prevent deep freezing, thereby avoiding the liability of root killing. 

 (5) A cover crop affords the most economical means of furnishing a supply of humus 

 in the soil. (6) The roots of a cover crop assist the tree roots in rendering available 

 certain mineral plant food in the soil. (7) A large amount of plant food is liberated 

 in the soil after the tree growth has ceased. This is taken up by the growing crop 

 and held in a readily available form for the following season. (8) Leguminous crops, 

 such as clover, vetch, alfalfa, peas, and beans, by virtue of certain bacteria which form 

 nodules on the roots, are able to assimilate nitrogen from the air. As nitrogen is one 

 of the most expensive fertilizing elements, the value of this class of plants cannot be 

 too highly appreciated. (9) Last and of most importance in some districts it takes 

 the moisture from the soil in the fall and causes the trees to ripen up earlier. 



Cover crops should be sown about the middle of July, so that they may make a 

 good growth the Fame season, and in the colder parts of the Province, the seed may 

 be sown during the first week of July, as the season is shorter than in the more 

 favored sections. It is also wise to check the growth of the trees about this time, so 

 that they may mature their wood before winter sets in. The thorough tillage which 

 should have been practised up to this season leaves the ground in the best possible 

 condition to give the young plants a start. The crop should be plowed under as early 

 in the spring as possible, and cultivation should begin at once. If the crop is large 

 and the soil rather dry, this is imperative, as the large amount of vegetable matter 

 turned under seriously interferes with capillary action and leaves the surface soil 

 unduly dry. 

 2 F.o. 



