Cultivation of the Orchard 167 



expense, in order to permit rapid work in the proper 

 season. 



3. The tractor has only overhead expense when not 

 in use, while it is necessary to keep and feed horses whether 

 or not they are working. Interest and depreciation on the 

 tractor, however, are no small items of expense. If the 

 whole farm is in orchard, a larger percentage of the draft 

 work can be done with the tractor than is usually the case 

 on general farms. When the orchardist buys a tractor, he 

 can dispose of a larger percentage of his horses than can 

 the general farmer. 



4. The tractor permits thorough work. Since the 

 tractor has so much more motive power than a team, it 

 can draw tools which will cultivate much more deeply and 

 thoroughly. When thorough and deep discing is desired, 

 tractors are particularly advantageous. Many tractors 

 draw both a disc and harrow at the same time, the disc 

 following the harrow or vice versa as the grower may 

 desire. This is not feasible when a two-horse team is used. 



5. Less injury is caused the trees with tractor. There 

 is a greater danger of injuring the fruit on the lower limbs 

 in cultivating with teams than with tractors. Fruit- 

 growers who have used the tractor emphasize that it may 

 not only be more economical in cultivation, but that it is 

 superior to horses for work in large orchards. They claim 

 that the tractor does less damage to the branches and trees 

 than horses, partly because fewer trips are required to 

 accomplish a given amount of work and partly because the 

 greater width of the implement pulled by the tractor makes 

 it unnecessary to travel as close to the trees as when horses 

 are used. 



