22 



BULLETIN 518, V. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



use no mulch crop, while 24 use mulch crops and cultivate perhaps 

 once in three years, or to some extent in early spring every year. 



The i^ractice of sowing the orchards to mulch crops is being adopted 

 rapidly and at the present rate may in a few years become universal, 

 providing sufficient water be available. 



Clean cultivation was formerly practiced universally. The tend- 

 ency to change to the mulch-crop system of management is especially 

 noticeable in the older bearing orchards. This is as may be expected, 

 for the older orchards show the need of humus and plant food. 



Conmiencing with the spring treatment of the soil, plowing is 

 frequentl}?- one of the first operations, although more often plowing 



Fig. 6. — The disk in use on a clean cultivated oilIkiuI 



is done in the fall. Exactly 50 per cent of the 54 growers practice 

 plowing, the number being about evenly distributed between the 

 clean-cultural and mulch-crop orchards. ThOse of the former who 

 plow do so usually every year, while the latter plow only when the 

 crop is turned under, or about once in three years. A 12-inch field 

 plow, drawn by two horses, is the common ^ype used, the furrows 

 being from 6 to 8 inches deep midway between the tree rows and 3 

 to 4 inches deep close to the trees. Fall plowing is practiced most 

 frequently in mulch-crop orchards. 



The normal cost of plowing an acre in the cultivated orchards is 

 $2.79 per acre for a man and team plowing 1.88 acres per day. In 



