ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
Average Yield in Bushels and Income Per Acre of Tilled and Sod Orchards 
Orchards All Well Cared For Five-year Average Per Acre 
Method of Treatment 
Cultivation from the Oregon View Point 
We must study this important subject. 
from the point of view of soil, season, 
age of tree, general climatic conditions, 
etc. The tools that are used also differ 
according to conditions. Plow, corrugated 
roller, float, disc harrow, Kimball weeders, 
and many other tools all have their places. 
Our particular object in the spring prep- 
aration is to form a reservoir for mois- 
ture, and make plant food available so as 
to maintain a large root-feeding system 
in order that we may develop strong 
trees, with vigorous wood and abundance 
of good sized fruit. With most of our 
clay soils annual spring plowing will be 
necessary; with the heavier soils harrow- 
ing should follow close on the plowing, 
as the heavy soils tend to become packed 
and cloddy. They will need discing and 
pulverizing and should be put into as 
good condition as possible. The sticky 
soils upon which many of the orchards 
are planted are exceptionally hard to han- 
dle. If they are plowed in the fall the 
soil runs together during the winter and 
they need replowing in the spring. These 
soils will have to be watched closely to 
catch them at just the right time. If an 
attempt is made to plow while they are 
too wet, they are so sticky as to be al- 
most impossible to handle. If you attempt 
to plow them when they are a little dry, 
they plow up in large lumps and it is: 
almost impossible to do anything with 
them. Occasionally these soils have been 
simply disced and thoroughly harrowed 
in place of plowing. 
The free soils and the sandy and silt 
loams work up very nicely. On the lighter 
of these soils, and especially with light 
rainfall, the problem is not so much in 
the spring to loosen these soils as it is 
to compact them. They are often rolled 
Bushels Income 
RATERS EASE ED SOCAL SAEED es TES 337 $189 
SibiabaseictdehocbcslatnthlecieeSilenaioo ted: 296 148 
Stine dankuanicatisissosadedidsiige ete of 234 121 
sia Acase eet Rael Ii rele tate Haneecnta decks 242 118 
sia hea delenitn tinction o Is cu ietateiadg woes 258 134 
Peers SORE Tat eae 4 ont ee ee 232 117 
and floated, a drag is used, and when 
this is done, light shallow harrowing 
should always follow. Our main object 
in the spring is then to get the ground 
into as good conditions for growth as pos- 
sible. After the rains have ceased great 
care must be taken to maintain as much 
of the moisture as possible under the soil 
conditions. This will mean frequent culti- 
vations during the growing season. One 
of the best tools to use in such cases is 
the Kimball weeder; this stirs the soil 
freely, will pulverize the top soil, and 
prevents drying or packing. It forms a 
dust mulch which aids in retaining the 
moisture in the soil. 
The number of times one will cultivate 
during the summer will vary with the 
One of Best Tools 
Loams. 
Fig. 1. Corrugated Roller. 
to Use on Clay 
soil, type of fruit, season, and the age 
of the trees. With young trees it is well 
to practice deep, thorough preparation in 
the spring so as to encourage the roots to 
strike deeply. It is not only a problem 
of holding the moisture but one of form- 
ing deep rooted trees. As soon as suf- 
ficient growth has been obtained the sum- 
mer cultivation should cease; this, in 
some regions, may be as early as July, 
while in some locations it will be about 
the first of August, but rarely later than 
the middle of August. The aim should 
be to throw the young trees into .dor- 
mancy so that they will not be injured 
