COVER CROPS 97 



crop in the younger stages of the orchard's life for two reasons : 

 first, because it pumps out the moisture from the soil better than 

 any other crop, thereby causing the young trees to mature their 

 year's growth earlier and incur less winter injury ; second, it is a 

 sure crop, giving a good mass for a soil cover and greatly improv- 

 ing the physical condition of the soil by adding to it a large amount 

 of slowly decaying humus. 



Clover and vetches are better adapted for cover crops in an 

 orchard which has arrived at or is near its bearing period. The 

 reason for this is that they pump less water from the soil and do 

 not injure the older trees by overstimulation so much as they do 

 the young ones. They add greatly to the fertilizer content of the 

 soil, thus improving its physical condition without decreasing the 

 actual cost of plant-food materials. 



Where a catch crop is sown, the cover crop is planted in the 

 tree-clear space 6 feet wide the first year and is increased in width 

 each year. This is because the catch crop occupies the rest of the 

 land late in the season, which of course interferes with the plant- 

 ing and growing of the cover crop. Beginning with the eighth 

 year the catch crop should be discontinued and clean culture be 

 practiced from this time on, as the young trees require all the space 

 in the orchard for their best development. 



To lengthen the twelve-year system, for the thirteenth year start 

 again at the eighth year and continue up to the twelfth year. 

 Allow the cover crop of clover planted in the ninth year (the four- 

 teenth year) to remain through the next (the fifteenth) year, which 

 will, of course, exclude clean culture that year. This rest is bene- 

 ficial to both trees and soil, in some cases being the needed check 

 to the formation of fruit buds, which would result in too large crops. 



Shade crops. The use of shade crops in orchards has been 

 strongly recommended by the experiment stations of the Far West. 

 Many orchardists who have tried such crops have met with grati- 

 fying success. 



The purpose of a shade crop is to shade the ground during the 

 growing season, thereby keeping the moisture of the soil uniform 

 and lowering the temperature somewhat. It is best adapted to the 

 irrigated sections of the country, and should not be used to any 

 extent until the trees come into bearing. 



