-3- 



the larger roots will have a tendency to make the feeders 

 de /elope deeper in the soil during the following season. 

 This is very desirable, as it allov/s of deeper plowing and en- 

 larges the feeding zone of the roots. Following the plow should 

 come a disk harrow, and the sod be thoroughly disked. This 

 is essential, as it covers up any exposed roots and puts the 

 sod in better condition to be decomposed and changed to humus 

 In oloiving, it is well to annually reverse the order of break- 

 ing the ground, throwing soil tov/ard the trees one year, and 

 away the next. This tends to keep the surface from becoming 

 irregular much longer than when the same order of plowing is 

 followed, year after year. As plowing close up to the bodies of 

 the trees cannot be safely done through danger of injury by 

 the traces bruising or mutilating them, it is almost necessary 

 to have a one-horse breaking plow to finish up the rows. 



Foll»®ing the plowing or disking, the surface should be 

 kept clean and mellow with a spring tooth harrow, fine tooth 

 cultivator or weeder. Cultivation of this kind is kept up 

 until the middle of July or the first or middle of August, 

 when some cover crop should be sovm and allowed to take 

 possession of the soil for the balance of the season. 



There are two classes of suitable cover-crop plants, 

 vis; legumes and nonr legumes, which should be used alternately 

 according to the needs of the trees. Legimies, like clover or 

 vetch have the power, through the action of certain nitrogen 

 fixing bacteria which live on their roots, of adding a very 

 considerable amount of nitrogen to the soil which is available 

 for the use of the trees when the plants are turned under. They 



