248 
see no possible objection to this, provided 
an equivalent in the form of barnyard 
manure or some other kind of fertilizer 
is placed on the land. In the growing 
of cover crops the trees get the benefit 
of the root system of the cover crop, no 
matter whether the top is fed to stock 
or allowed to rot on the ground. It may 
just as well be fed to stock as allowed 
to decay for the purpose of adding humus 
to the soil, provided barnyard manure is 
used to add the same amount of humus 
that the top system would have added, 
and there is this advantage, that an acre 
of alfalfa or clover in an orchard should 
yield something like three or four tons 
per annum worth from $5 to $10 per ton, 
while its equivalent in manure can be 
placed on the soil for about $1 per ton. 
Therefore, a considerable difference in 
profit would grow out of the use of the 
alfalfa or clover, while during the winter 
season when not much else could be done 
in the orchard the barnyard manure could 
be hauled and put on the land. 
What Not to Grow 
Among the crops which should not be 
grown in orchards are timothy, corn, 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
wheat and oats. I have watched with 
considerable interest the effects of certain 
crops upon the growing trees. In one 
orchard I noted that for four successive 
years wheat had been grown between the 
rows, and at the age of four years these 
trees were not as large as trees three 
years old across the road and growing 
under similar conditions, but without 
wheat. I have noted similar results with 
corn. Corn and wheat do not take from 
the soil more of the substances needed 
by the trees than do vegetable crops, but 
the latter require more cultivation and 
are usually rotated. 
The following table shows the amount 
of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash 
said to be removed from the soil by the 
various crops in one year. It must be re- 
membered that these are three of the ele- 
ments which the apple tree very much 
needs, and that the reason why alfalfa, 
clover, vetch, beans, peas and other legu- 
minous plants are said to be good for the 
soil is largely because they gather nitro- 
gen from the air in excess of what they 
use from the soil. 
GRANVILLE LOWTIER 
Table Showing Amount of Nitrogen, Phosphorie Acid and Potash Removed from the 
Soil by Certain Crops 
Name of Crop 
Barley wo. cece cece oe eee 
Buckwheat ........ veneers oe eee 
Cabbage (white) 
Cauliflower 0000.0. ee ee 
Cattle turnips ..0 20 2 Ll, 
Carrots 
Clover (trifolium pratense) 
Clover, scarlet (trifolium incarnatum ) 
Clover (trifolium repens) 
Corn fodder (27ee@n) .00.0.0. 2. ceececsecee « ceeneeneccee ee 
Cotton 
OO RO ME RO 
Lucern (alfalfa) 
Meadow hay 
eee meee ae ee 
nee Oe a ee am nee 
ee ten et me em we 
Clover, green (trifolium pratense). ..... .......... 
Woe an eee ee me Ra 
COW DCA ou, -seccccee occa ceece cee eee ce eeete censeeue enene cae 
a 
er Te ee 
aa ee ee 
AAS TM ey Te Re 
Se Re Pe RE 
Lupine, green (for fodder) -... .u....ccececcceceesee 
Lupine, yellow (lupinus luteus)... 0000. 
SUERTE HEME TS MEM EO RO 
HAE EAA SH RM ER CREME ENE OT | Oe 
onsen mee eR RO ee Ee OO 
Phosphoric 
Nitrogen Acid Potash 
wen cececetgeeereteteenen anaes 78 35 62 
cane eeseneececeneente wen ewes 63 4() 17 
veveccscceeee cusneeeescen eave 213 125 514 
202 76 265 
187 74 426 
be nate weeeaeeeseeerensen tees 166 65 190 
171 46 154 
pacee seceane seceurensegecceeen 27 18 29 
deeneceeee qunerteae o eeeecese 95 17 57 
weve an eu ueveccenescenanrenes 89 29 58 
seanaqeececeeenedaeeseeceeceenes 254 64 169 
enguceneueesteueecencesseutencs 146 69 174 
peestensenene soneceeencenas ave 122 66 236 
vaen ceneeeateeacansceneseseeees 110 32 35 
pees eentancnenevenseccenten wees 142 94 193 
weceeucene ae accarean eusercees 239 36 103 
sesttecenes anee ausanee ences © 200 54 127 
cnnvnceeeuceuegtecere esses wens unseee 34 54 
wectecacesensecerseaencures as 41 17 72 
eteceneuneesen cnunessancensnene 289 65 181 
aeucane seccsnanraneneceseestane 219 46 63 
nesesnsseee senssneeecasers ove 80 37 155 
wevenaenseeasasacenvarenseuaneee 166 53 201 
weceenes aueesees sensencenenees 89 35 96 
