58 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
phate, and potash salts. Thus we see that 
an adequate supply of organic matter im¬ 
proves the soil as a foothold for plants, 
and increases both directly and indirectly 
the available food supply of the crop. 
It can be readily seen that soils defi¬ 
cient in organic matter are not in condi¬ 
tion to make the best use of commercial 
fertilizers. Right here is the moth that 
eats a hole in many a grower’s wallet. 
Expensive fertilizers are applied and ex¬ 
pected results are not realized because of 
poor delivery of the soil due to a lack of 
organic matter. 
Many of our growers are depending 
upon commercial fertilizers alone to main¬ 
tain soil productivity. The results will be¬ 
come more and more disappointing. Or¬ 
ganic matter must be supplied from other 
sources, the most practical and most eco¬ 
nomical of which is through the growing 
and turning under of cover crops. In 
many cases animal manure may be used. 
The soil should be well stocked with or¬ 
ganic matter while the grove is young or 
even before it is set, and this stock should 
never be allowed to run down. This can 
be done by growing and turning under 
velvet beans, beggarweed, cowpeas, and 
several of the grasses. Some of these 
crops should be mowed a time or two dur¬ 
ing the season, in time to partially decay 
before the crop is turned under in Novem¬ 
ber. Where the root system of old trees 
will not permit deep plowing, the cover 
crop should be cut with a disc so that it 
can be turned under by plowing shallow. 
Both cover crops and manure should be 
well incorporated with the soil. 
Velvet beans, and in many cases cow- 
peas, should be planted in rows and cul¬ 
tivated a few times to give the best re¬ 
sults. In sowing beggarweed, prepare the 
seed bed thoroughly just before the rainy 
season begins, and while it is yet fresh 
sow the seed with something like a cyclone 
seeder, and leave it. Don’t harrow the 
seed in. Three to ten pounds per acre 
should give a good stand. As the trees 
grow larger, shading the ground more, 
and the soil becomes better, the grass 
cover crops should, under usual condi¬ 
tions, be sufficient to keep up the organic 
content of the soil. This, however, de¬ 
pends upon the character of the soil and 
cultural methods followed. Where the 
trees are close and the ground largely 
shaded, much less organic matter will ox¬ 
idize than where trees are wide apart and 
the soil kept bare through the hot season, 
and consequently not so much cover crop 
is needed to replace wasted organic mat¬ 
ter. Between these two extremes we find 
innumerable conditions affecting the sup¬ 
ply of organic matter in the soil. In pro¬ 
portion as this integral soil constituent is 
supplied and maintained can the soil make 
the most adequate use of our sunshine and 
rain, and of the commercial fertilizers ap¬ 
plied. 
