170 The Principles of Fruit-growing. 
CROPPING THE ORCHARD. 
It will now be asked what crops may be grown 
in the orchard. Grain and hay, never! Any hoed 
crop may be used for the first few years; but it 
must be remembered that every crop competes with 
the trees for food and moisture, and whatever may 
befall the crop, the trees should not be allowed to 
suffer. An open space should be left about the tree, 
free of crops, at least several feet in extent. As 
a general statement, it may be said that a space 
three feet wide should be left upon all sides of the 
tree the first year, and this area should be enlarged 
a foot or two each year; and this space should con- 
tinue to enlarge until the trees occupy the entire sur- 
face. Corn and some other luxuriant plants appro- 
priate moisture more quickly than the tree can. 
In general, some low-growing crop which demands 
good tillage and comes off the land early is_ best. 
The notion that young trees should be shaded by a 
crop is probably erroneous for most regions. In 
orchards set less than twenty feet apart, the land 
should rarely be cropped after the third year; but 
apple orchards, if well cared for, may be cropped 
lightly for seven or eight years. In no ease should 
the grower expect to secure as much erop upon 
orchard land as upon other areas; and the drier 
the land, the less should it be cropped. When the 
orchard comes to bearing age; give it the entire land. 
Thereafter, the most profitable secondary crop to raise 
is cultivators. 
