FRUIT-GROWING 



FRUIT-GROWING 



351 



When orchards are carrying a full crop, it may 

 be impossible to sow a cover-crop early enough ■ to 

 enable it to make much headway before winter 

 sets in. In such cases, rye is about the only re- 

 course, for it may be sown very late, and it will 

 make rapid growth in the earliest days of spring. 

 Even if it does not germinate in the fall, it 

 will probably come up in the spring and do 

 well. A little fertilizer drilled in with the 

 rye usually will cause a great gain in the 

 growth of herbage. Rye will thrive fairly 

 well even with very indifferent preparation 

 of the land, and therefore is a most useful 

 cover-crop on lands that are not yet well 

 subdued. 



To insure a heavy cover, the seeding 

 should be thick. Of some covers, the seed 

 is expensive and often difficult to secure in 

 ,vood quality. The grower may find it good 

 practice to reserve one corner or side of a 

 field for the gathering of seed. This can be 

 readily done with winter vetch, crimson 

 clover and the cereals. Following are aver- 

 age quantities of seed to sow per acre for 

 heavy cover-crops in fruit plantations : 



Barley 2-2^ bus. 



Beans li-2 bus. 



Beggarweed 5-8 lbs. 



Buckwheat li bus. 



Clover, red 10-15 lbs. 



Clover, mammoth 15-20 lbs. 



Clover, crimson 15-20 lbs. 



Cowpea li-2 bus. 



Maize 2-3 bus. 



Millet IJ bus. 



Oats 2-3 bus. 



Pea 2-3 bus. 



Rape 2-5 lbs. 



Rye lJ-2buB. 



Soybean 2-4 pks. 



Sweet Clover 10-12 lbs. 



Turnip 4. lbs. 



Velvet bean 1-4 pks. 



Vetch IJ bus. 



Wheat 2-2J bus. 



Alfalfa (20 to 24 lbs. to the acre) is sometimes 

 used as a cover-crop in orchards, being plowed a 

 year from sowing or allowed to remain for a longer 



period. Vari- 

 ous combina- 

 tions or mix- 

 tures are also 

 used; as mam- 

 moth clover 6 

 lbs., alfalfa 

 10 lbs., turnip 

 2 to 3 oz. ; al- 

 falfa 6 lbs., 

 crimson clo- 

 ver 6 lbs., al- 

 sike . clover 3 

 lbs.,strap-leaf 

 sown in midsummer ; cow- 



li bus., rye i bus.; cowpea IJ bus., red clover 

 6 lbs.; oats 2 bus., peas 2 bus. 



Fertilizing. 



The special needs of fruit-bearing trees and 

 bushes in the way of fertilizers have not yet been 



Fig. 500. California walnut orchard 

 showing clean cultivation. 



turnip 2 to 3 oz., all 



peas in drills and cultivated, and rye, rape or tur- 

 nips added at the last cultivation ; winter vetch 



Fig. 501. Orchard tiUage. Peach trees he.ivily out back after the 

 loss of the fruit-crop by a freeze, in order to renew the tops. 



worked out. It is probable that practices will be 

 greatly modified when fundamental studies are 

 made. The current advice, given in the publica- 

 tions of the past ten years, holds good so far as 

 our knowledges goes. Stable manure is of first 

 importance in most cases, because of its humus- 

 forming materials ; when this cannot be had, 

 cover-cropping is all the more necessary. As for 

 commercial fertilizers, the conclusions derived from 

 general-crop studies are applied to orchards. The 

 orchard must be fed liberally if profitable results 

 year by year are to be expected. Because orchards 

 will bear now and then without fertilizing, seems 

 to afford an excuse for not fertilizing. Muriate of 

 potash 200 to 300 pounds, acid phosphate (availa- 

 ble) of equal or greater quantity, and nitrate of 

 soda 100 to 200 pounds (or its equivalent in green- 

 manures) afford a standard application per acre 

 annually for good orchards in full bearing, when 

 combined with good tillage. 



Pruning. 



To reduce the competition between branches, to 

 open the plant to light and air, to facilitate spray- 

 ing, tillage and other care, pruning is necessary 

 in all bush-fruits and trees. In the bush-fruits, 

 old canes must be removed and new vigorous ones 

 allowed to take their place ; the bearing canes 

 may need to be headed back to keep them within 

 bounds. How much to prune fruit trees depends 

 on the species, age and the locality. More pruning 

 is needed in some localities than in others. In the 

 hot, bright sunny regions of the plains very open- 

 headed trees are liable to sun-scald. As a general 

 statement, it may be said that trees should be 

 pruned with as much pains and regularity as they 

 are tilled or sprayed. The best season for the main 

 pruning is late winter or very early spring. The 

 branches should be cut close to the trunk, as long 

 stubs do not heal readily and rot is likely to set 

 in. We need fundamental studies of the effects of 



