424 MANAGING ORCHARD SOILS AND FERTILIZING TREES 



cover crop in many sections. Oats, barley and wheat are also used as 

 cover crops. 



Buckwheat. Buckwheat makes a good cover crop in many orchards. 

 It will do quite well on poor soils and thus improve them so that legumes 

 can be grown. It is particularly good for improving the physical con- 

 dition of a heavy soil. It is killed by the first frost. 



Dwarf Essex Rape and Cowhorn Turnips, These have rather large 

 root systems which penetrate the soil deeply and are thus effective in 

 improving its physical condition. These crops grow rather late in the 

 season and generally form a dense mass of leafy material for plowing 

 under. They thrive exceptionally well on heavier soils in cool chmatea 

 and where there is a good moisture supply. 



Millet. Millet makes an excellent cover crop in young orchards 

 where shading is not a factor. Under such conditions it quickly pro- 

 duces a large bulk of organic matter. It does quite well on a wide 

 range of soils and is not very exacting in its moisture requirements. 



Time of Seeding. The time of sowing the cover crop is 

 influenced by such factors as: locality, age of trees, variety of 

 fruit (whether summer or winter apples), type of soil, and 

 size of crop. 



If the cover crop is sown too early in an orchard which is 

 producing a hea\y crop of fruit, the size of fruit may be in- 

 jured under some conditions. It must be remembered that the 

 cover crop draws heavily on the moisture supply of the soil. 

 With a heavy crop of fruit the cover crops should generally 

 be sown later than if the trees are not bearing. 



Cover crops can be sown earlier on heavj soils that are 

 retentive of moisture than on the lighter soils. Early sowing 

 of cover crops will check tree groTvi;h and thus help to bring 

 about a satisfactory maturity of young trees, so they will be 

 in better shape to withstand low winter temperatures. 



Under many soil and climatic conditions, and especially in 

 the Middle Atlantic states, the cover crops should be seeded 

 early enough (late July) so that a large bulk of organic ma- 

 terial will be produced and available for plowing under in late 

 fall, winter, or early spring. A test for lime should be made, 

 and lime and fertilizers should be added if these are necessary 

 in order to produce a heavy cover crop. Nitrogen, phosphorus, 



