Cultivation of the Orchard 159 



CLEAN CULTIVATION WITH COVEK-CEOPS 



The best general method of soil management for all 

 commercial apple regions, with two possible exceptions, is 

 clean cultivation with the use of a cover-crop. The two 

 general exceptions are: (1) western irrigated orchards 

 which at present are committed largely to the system of 

 leguminous inter-crop or perennial cover-crop; and (2) 

 orchards which are too hilly to permit of cultivation, such 

 as have been described for parts of Xew England and 

 Virginia. 



The term " cover-crop " is correctly applied to a crop 

 sown in the late summer months, usually in July or 

 August, which is plowed under the following spring. By 

 cultivating the orchard until late summer, the grower is 

 using the best method for conserving the moisture and is 

 insuring other benefits to be derived from cultivation. 



In sowing the cover-crop in the summer or fall, the 

 orchardist can check the growth of his trees and insure the 

 hardening of their growth before winter without robbing 

 them of the plant-food necessary to mature the crop. The 

 cover-crop acts as a protection during the winter months 

 and when plowed under in the spring increases the supply 

 of humus, improves the physical condition of the soil and 

 makes more plant-food available. This system of soil 

 management is most common in western New York where 

 mammoth red clover and vetch are the best suited 

 leguminous cover-crops and rye, buckwheat, oats, barley, 

 rape and cow-horn turnips are the widely grown non- 

 leguminous cover-crops. Leguminous cover-crops are 

 usually more desirable since they not only add humus, but 

 make more nitrogen available. 



