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draw their chief nutriment from the soil, during the last halt of 
May, all of June, and the first half of July. Grass, oats, wheat, 
rye and weeds are of this class, and admit of no cultivating process 
during their growth and the ripening of their seed. Added to this 
is the fact that in the very inidst of the season when this greatest 
exhaustion of the soil occurs, then also do our most severe times of 
drouth usually come upon us. How exceedingly unwise then to 
require our far less rampant fruit trees to compete with such succu- 
lent crops for their subsistence and fruit bearing support during the 
very season so precious to the success of the tree and its production, 
and that too, often in the midst of a parching drouth, and upon a 
shallowly cultivated soil. He who has continued to manage his 
orchard in that manner, is the very man who has declaimed most 
loudly against “ever trying again to raise fruit in Iowa.” 
Root crops, potatoes and corn are less exhausting so early in the 
season, and as they require a frequent cultivation, are usually less 
disastrous to an orchard. Any crop is least injurious that is grown 
later in the season, as it will not rob the trees at the time of their 
greatest need. 
But after all, why not give up the land to the orchard and grow 
all other crops in other fields? Then cultivate with a plow the 
whole surface, turning the soil to and from the trees, and using the 
spade or hoe to complete the work about them. This should be 
done every ten days or two weeks from the beginning of growth 
in spring, till the middle of July, and the dryer the season the 
oftener and deeper should it be plowed and spaded. After July, 
it is found best to cease all cultivation, as the new growth of wood 
will be the sooner checked, and begin to ripen up earlier, be better 
prepared for winter, and for a more healthful and vigorous starting 
in spring. I will here add, that from experiments made under my 
own observation, I am confident that a well manured soil will pro- 
mote a good growth earlier in the season than the natural soil. 
Besides this, who does not know that unlike the East, our natural 
soil seems to push forward our trees and plants at a rapid rate in 
the fall, so that even weeds will often grow up and riper their seeds 
in October, in much less time than in July and August? It will 
also be found true in every case, that other things being equal, a 
tree that in spring is not sadly checked in its vigor by a hard win- 
ter upon unripe or late growing branches, but is vigorous and starts 
