PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-THIRD FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 201 



forces him to quit cultivating, and to give the soil a rest, as has occurred 

 in many places in the East and is even now occurring to some extent in 

 California. 



If a man works constantly night and day, within five or six days at 

 the outside he will be compelled to rest. If, as often occurs in the mines, 

 a man works seven days in the week, month after month, he, too, will 

 finally be compelled to stop and rest. But if a man works six days in 

 a week, sleeps six nights, and recreates on the seventh by whatever 

 means bests suits his wish, he will ordinarily live to a good old age 

 in health and vigor, and will accomplish vastly more work in the long 

 run than either of the other fellows, other things being equal. 



Now, when I take a piece of land and cultivate it every year, I am 

 making it work night and day, and the result will be just the same as 

 in the case of the man; namely, utter prostration when the limit has 

 been reached. 



But you ask, How can you handle an orchard or a vineyard in any 

 other way 1 ? This brings us to the kernel of the matter. 



. The most superficial study will show you that soil anywhere simply 

 consists of little particles of rock mixed with decomposed vegetable 

 matter, or humus. Now, in the beginning there was nothing but rock, 

 so how did the humus get there? If ,you will watch closely you will 

 see that nature put it there, through centuries, by adding, dry matured 

 wood, leaves, twigs, and grass to the little particles of rock. 



When the good husbandman plows-under green grass, he is only giv- 

 ing the man working night and day a drink, because green grass is 

 nearly all water. When he hauls a load of stable manure, he is only giv- 

 ing him something to eat, and mighty little at that. And when he puts 

 on chemical fertilizers, he, in my opinion, is only giving the man a drink 

 of whisky, because he is getting sleepy — the results are only temporary. 

 The last condition of that soil is worse than the first. 



It has never occurred to him that the poor fellow might need a rest 

 and that it might be highly economical and advantageous in every way 

 to give it to him— and to give it to him regularly. 



But you ask, How can you give an orchard or vineyard a rest without 

 ruining it? Simply this way. We will call the space between two 

 rows of trees or vines a "middle." Just plow alternate middles on 

 alternate years. That is the whole thing in a nut shell. In other words, 

 plow half of your land eacli year, not all of it, and do it this way, 

 alternate middles on alternate years. Keep it up for four years and 

 watch the results. 



The first and second years you will call yourself a fool and a lunatic 

 and numerous other things, and your neighbors will quite agree with 

 you. The longer you have been following in the good old way the more 

 nearly your soil will resemble Portland cement, on account of lack of 



