264 
of the main planting. The growers of the 
latter class are advised to set their trees 
at moderate distances and to grow among 
them some kind of a crop such as pota- 
toes, corn, or vegetables that require cul- 
tivation during the early part of the sum- 
mer. Even then, there is danger of grow- 
ing these crops too near the trees and 
of not supplying the necessary plant food 
to make up for that removed from the 
soil by the secondary crop. 
C. D. Jarvis, 
Storrs, Conn. 
Tillage with Intercropping 
The system of tillage and intercropping 
is generally practiced in the orchard be- 
fore the trees arrive at a profitable bear- 
ing age, and after it has served its pur- 
pose is usually succeeded by tillage and 
cover crops. The growing of companion 
crops or intercrops in the young orchard 
affords the orchardist an opportunity, by 
careful management, to make such crops 
pay for the care and management of the 
orchard during the period elapsing he- 
tween the time of setting the trees and 
the age of their profitable bearing. The 
kinds of crops which may be grown in the 
young orchard are only limited by the cli- 
matic and soil conditions. Generally 
speaking, however, they should be re- 
stricted to hoed crops. Vegetables and 
small fruits are the most desirable. The 
writer prefers vegetable because the or- 
chardist can choose such crops as may be 
planted rather late and still mature a 
crop, thus permitting early and unre 
stricted cultivation of the soil for a short 
time before planting, thereby furnishing 
moisture and plant food to the tree when 
it is making its most vigorous leaf and 
wood growth. Such crops as late cabbage, 
squash, cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, etc., 
may be used to good advantage. Corn 
and potatoes may be grown if not planted 
too close to the tree rows. Strawberries 
are preferred among fruits followed by 
the bush fruits—currants, gooseberries, 
raspberries and blackberries. The objec- 
tion to these crops is that their season 
of growth is practically identical with 
that of the apple tree, and that unless, as 
has been said, they are planted at some 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
distance from the rows, they are apt to 
deprive the young trees ot needed mMois- 
ture and plant food. The successful prac. 
tice of the intercropping system is Wholly 
dependent upon the intelligence displayeg 
by the orchardist in furnishing a suffici. 
ent amount of plant food to meet the ex. 
tra demand made upon the soil by both 
tree and companion crop, as well as upon 
the intelligent selection of intercrops, 
For the past four seasons the writer has 
grown Hubbard squash upon certain por- 
tions of the young station orchard. The 
squash is usually planted about June 17- 
20 and as yet has not failed to mature a 
crop. This late planting permits unre. 
stricted cultivation of the orchard prac- 
tically up to July 15, or later if desired, 
as the vines do not begin to run much 
before that date. The returns from an 
intercrop will of course vary with the 
kind of crop grown, the care and fertiliz- 
ation, and the market. Owing to an al- 
most total failure of the crop throughout 
New England the Hubbard squash inter- 
erop grown in 1907 in the station orchard, 
returned about $150 per acre. The aver- 
age receipts for four seasons have approx- 
imated $75 per acre. Of course such re- 
sults are possible only where a good home 
market is available, and are not to be 
expected from shipments to larger mar- 
kets where charges for freight and com- 
mission, as well as competition, serve very 
greatly to reduce the profits. 
WILLIAM STUART, 
Burlington, Vt 
Fillers 
EH. H. Favor, author of “The Fruit 
Growers Guide,” on the subject of ‘Fill- 
ers” says: 
“The use of ‘fillers,’ or temporary 
trees, in an orchard is not always to be 
recommended. Such trees can in many 
instances serve a useful purpose, but 
they too often become permanent. After 
they come into bearing the owner always 
wants just one more crop from them be- 
fore they are removed. Years pass by in 
this way and the orchard becomes so 
crowded that the yield from all the trees 
is less than it would be if the fillers were 
out. 
