228 The Principles of Fruit-growing 



tooth harrows, and the subsequent tilling partly with a 

 light spike-tooth harrow. Of course, this means that there 

 must be no delay in the spring work in the orchard, and 

 no years of neglect. Weeds are not allowed to appear; 

 but if a patch should get a start now and then, it can usu- 

 ally be destroyed with the cultivator. Perhaps once or 

 twice in the season it may be necessary to send a man 

 through the orchard with a hoe to take the weeds away 

 from the trees, but the space that needs such hand labor 

 will not exceed 2 feet in diameter, and it is usually very 

 much less. This has been accomplished by exercising 

 great care to plow the clay when it is in such condition 

 that it pulverizes when it is worked, and by the incor- 

 poration of one or two cover-crops. 



It will be necessary now and then to grow cover-crops, 

 and the land will then be regularly plowed in spring to 

 turn the crop under; but even so, it may not be the desire 

 to secure a heavy growth of cover-crop, and the spring 

 plowing need not necessarily be deep and laborious. If, 

 however, it seems to be necessary to plow 5 or 6 inches 

 deep, there will be no hesitation in doing so, for the roots 

 are deep enough to escape the plow if the plowman is 



ordinarily careful about 

 the trees. 



It is not necessarily 

 a misfortune to cut the 

 smaller roots with the 

 plow, providing only a 

 few are cut in any year. 

 In other words, it is no 

 doubt safer to sever a 

 ^ .„ . u , . . good many roots 14 inch, 



Fia. 69. A broken grape-root renewing its . . 



connection with the earth. Or SOmetimCS eVen 1 luch, 



