53 



of it. It is often surprising how much hard treatment a tree will 

 withstand and still reward its owner with a crop of fruit! 



Before leaving this matter of the sod mulch, however, I wish 

 to add that it does, beyond any doubt whatever, have its place in 

 fruit growing, especially in the case of apples and pears. With the 

 latter, on account of blight, a rather slow, firm, growth is desirable 

 in contrast to a rapid succulent growth. The influences of tillage 

 may easily induce the latter. And with apples, it does not neces- 

 sarily follow that seeding the orchard down for a year or two at a 

 time when cultivation is the rule is not often times of direct benefit. 

 The thing to do is to cultivate for the sake of the trees, not for 

 the sake of the cultivation and when the trees by their appearance 

 and behavior cry "enough," then seed down for a year or two 

 to clover or grass of some kind. Fortunate, indeed, is the man 

 who is so expert at interpreting the appearance and behavior of 

 his trees that he knows when to cultivate and when not to do so. 

 But this constitutes one of the fundamental difi^erences between 

 fruit growers. Then, too, the topography of many sites well suit- 

 ed otherwise to fruit growing is such that continuous tillage is 

 out of the question on account of the washing of the soil which 

 would follow that practice. In such cases the benefits of tillage 

 which might otherwise result advantageously must of course be 

 foregone for obvious reasons. 



But continuous tillage of an orchard year after year — that 

 thorough tillage which means clean cultivation — will gradually work 

 ruin to the physical condition of any soil because it means a con- 

 tinouous diminution in the supply of humus or decaying vegetable 

 matter which is absolutely essential to its fertility. Clean tillage 

 then must be accompanied more or less frequently with a green 

 manure crop. Fruit growers and others have been slow to realize 

 or to understand the importance of maintaining the humus sup- 

 ply of the soil. But gradually it is becoming appreciated. All over 

 the country, even in the prairie sections where the exhaustless rich- 

 ness of the soil has been the boast for years past, the necessity of 

 growing green manure crops is becoming apparent and the fruit 

 growers are seeing its meaning. 



As a rule some legume is desirable for a cover crop because of 

 the nitrogen which it takes from the air and adds to the soil. In 

 a cow pea country, perhaps, there is nothing better than this crop ; 

 but crimson clover, common red clover, vetch, etc., are frequently 

 used. Among the non-leguminous crops used, rye is perhaps the 

 most common. Buckwheat, rape and various other things are also 

 of value. 



These cover crops permit of tillage through the most important 

 portion of the growing season, then following the cessation of that, 

 perhaps in July, the cover or green manure crop is sowed. 



Thorough tillage and the use of leguminous cover crops go a 

 long way in maintaining the fertility of the soil in an orchard. 

 Further than this I am inclined to pass over the matter of the plant 



