cover crop the first year for this reason. Turning under 

 a few such crops will make the soil spongy and friable, 

 increase its moisture capacity and thereby render it more able 

 to resist drought. 



The cover crop plan is probably the nearest approach to 



the clean cultivation method of management v/hich one can 

 safely use and fulfill all the requirements of the trees. It 

 combines a neat appearing orchard, which so many men delight 

 in, with a thoroughly efficient one which, from a commercial 

 standpoint is the desired end. 



On some soils, where there is a decided tendency to 

 wash, ^ is not advisable to turn the Xod over at all. On 

 steep hillsides this is likely to be the case. The soil 

 fro.u the top of the hill will gradually be transported through 

 water action to the bottom, leaving the trees up above without 

 any means of support. For such conditions as these, the sod 

 mulch method of management has been devised and has proven 

 quite successful, although it is doubtful whether such good 

 results could be obtained from it as from the cover crop 

 method on level or fairly level ground. It consists essentially/-/-^/T 

 of the following. The orchard is seeded down to some such 

 grass as or^chard grass or timothy and from these a sod 

 is allowed to develope. Each year, instead of cultivating 

 the ground the grass is allowed to grow until late in May or 

 early in June when it is jiown and left where it falls. If it 

 grows rapidly it should be cut again in July or August. The 

 grass which is cut forms a mulch and returns to the soil 

 what plant food it utilized in developing. 



