1 38 Practical Orcharding On Rough Lands. 



caring for our orchards they cease to be profit- 

 able investments. The sooner those who plant 

 trees realize this the better it will be, not only 

 for them but for the business. 



Not only should the cultivation begin early 

 in the life of the tree, but it should be begun 

 as early in the season as possible, remembering 

 that it is in the early growing months that we 

 want our trees to make their wood growth. 

 The earlier the ground is stirred the sooner as 

 a rule will this growth begin. We often culti- 

 vate to aereate or warm the soil, as when we 

 practice making ridges or mounds of earth and 

 allowing them to remain several days then 

 levelling them down, thus making hills in 

 which to plant melon or ridges for other seeds. 



Why We Cultivate.— One purpose of cul- 

 tivation should be to improve the physical con- 

 dition of the soil. So as to extend the feeding 

 area of the roots of our plants, realizing that 

 the finer the particles of soil the better the air 

 can circulate through it, consequently the bet- 

 ter growth the plants are able to make. All 

 must realize that without soil air, plants can- 

 not thrive, as is so plainly shown in water- 

 soaked soils. If we would allow ourselves to 

 think of such soils as air tight and the plant 

 roots sealed up we would come nearer realizing 



