262 
bear a small crop. This, together with 
the vegetables, should bring good returns. 
Fifth Year 
This year the peaches should yield 
large returns and the pears begin to pay. 
There will also be a few apples, say $1.50 
per tree. At this rate, 400 trees should 
bring $600. There will also be an income 
from the vegetables. However, the peach 
tree grows with spreading branches and 
will begin to intrude upon the straw- 
berries and vegetables, yet at this time 
we would not.sacrifice the vegetables, but 
prune the peach trees so as not to inter- 
fere too much with them. 
Sixth Year 
From this time forward peaches, pears 
and apples will yield good returns and the 
question of sacrificing the vegetables may 
well be considered. There is income 
enough without them, but if they still 
prove profitable, the grower will hesitate. 
Some people say that vegetables should 
not be grown among the trees because 
the trees need the soil’s substance. This 
is true if the ground is not manured; but 
if the vegetable matter taken off the land 
is replaced by an equal or greater amount 
of barnyard manure, it improves rather 
than impoverishes the soil. 
From this time on, the grower has a 
comfortable income that should net him 
not less than $500 per acre per annum, 
and he can cut out his vegetables and 
fillers when it seems wise to do so. 
After the vegetables are disposed of 
and the land well manured, then some 
kind of cover crop should be grown 
among the trees. 
GRANVILLE LowTHeR 
Plan for Eastern States 
In newly planted orchards the trees oc- 
cupy a very small portion of the ground, 
and as a rule some other kind of a crop 
is grown in the open space. The amount 
of space at the disposal of other crops 
will depend somewhat upon the kind of 
filler chosen. 
If peaches are used as fillers the ground 
should not be cropped for more than one 
or two seasons. Some reputable growers 
do not believe in attempting to grow any 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
other crop, except cover crops, when 
peaches are used as fillers. At least one 
grower in Connecticut has had excellent 
results from growing turnips, another has 
found late cabbage profitable. In some 
cases the spaces between the tiees are 
planted to small fruits—strawberries, 
raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries 
and currants. Where no filleis are used 
the small fruits are very suitable. With 
apple fillers strawberries may be success- 
fully grown, but the bush fruits, if used, 
are likely to be left in too long. 
The best kind of a crop for this purpose 
is one that will require cultivation the 
early part of the season and will be out 
of the way in time for the sowing of a 
cover crop. Crops of this nature are 
early cabbage, early cauliflower, early po- 
tatoes, beans, peas and radishes. Next to 
this is one that will require cultivation 
the early part of the season but will not 
necessitate the disturbing of the soil late 
in the season. Late cabbage, squash, tur- 
nips, cucumbers and melons are of this 
class. A cover crop may be sown when 
such interplanted crops are last culti- 
vated. Late potatoes are not suited to 
the purpose, for the reason that in digging 
them the soil is much disturbed, produc- 
ing a late growth and preventing the trees 
from properly ripening their wood. Corn 
has been grown in this way but usually 
has a bad effect upon the trees. It may 
be used without fear of injury if a wide 
space is left and kept cultivated along 
the rows of trees. The whole may be 
seeded to clover about July 15th, or at the 
last cultivation of the corn. 
Whatever is grown in the orchard it 
should be looked upon as a catch-crop, 
and the returns from it as incidental. On 
the other hand, these companion crops, 
with careful management, may be made 
to pay for the care of an apple orchard 
up to the age of profitable production. An 
extra supply of fertilizer always should 
be applied for the use of these supple- 
mentary crops and the greatest care exer- 
eised in preventing them from interfer- 
ing with the growth of the trees. From 
year to year the space for the use of the 
trees should be increased until finally it 
is given up entirely. 
