THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
223 
food-suppliers, we have 
field peas and soy beans. 
Of the hardy non-food- 
supplying class, the most 
important is rye, but 
wheat is occasionally 
used. The increased 
cost of the seed, and the 
fact that the character 
of its growth is much the 
same as rye, makes the 
latter more in favor. 
Of the non-food-sup¬ 
plying tender crops, 
oats, millet, turnips and 
One-year Grapes. Stark Bros. rutabagas are the mOSt 
used. The two latter 
might be placed in a class by themselves due to the fact that 
. they have tender tops which kill back with the frost, but 
f roots which live over win- 
'ter and produce growth the 
following season. It is not 
* necessary that each crop 
_ be grown alone, frequently 
• two or more are grown in 
combination. Probably 
a the most used combination 
5 is that of oats and Canada 
ft field peas. 
Some of the chief advan¬ 
tages and disadvantages of 
^ the various plants men¬ 
tioned above, in their use 
as cover crops are: 
Hairy vetch is especial¬ 
ly hardy; makes a rapid 
growth in spring; is slow to 
catch in a dry season; makes slow growth in fall; is low 
and does not hold snow as well as some of the other crops. 
Crimson clover can only be recommended in certain 
localities, owing to the fact that it winter kills. Where 
it is hardy it makes a very good cover if a catch can 
be secured. 
Field peas are one of the best food-supplying crops; 
make a heavy growth; are especially valuable when mixed 
with some other crop which provides support. 
Soy beans are more tender than field peas, but stand up 
better after frost. 
Rye is the best non-food-supplying hardy cover; does 
not make as much growth as oats in the fall, but stands up 
somewhat better during the winter. 
Oats is probably the most used of all covers; comes 
quickly when sown, makes a good growth, stands up fairly 
well during the winter. Barley possesses about the same 
merit. 
Millet is similar to oats, but less hardy and does not 
stand up as well. Turnips and rutabagas add considerable 
vegetable matter, but lack the essential qualities necessary 
for holding snow; especially valuable for rendering avail¬ 
able phosphoric acid. 
AMOUNT OF SEED FOR COVER CROPS 
The amount of seed to be sown for the various crops is 
practically the same as that in ordinary field culture. It is 
better to err on the side of having the cover too thick 
rather than too thin. There is little danger on the side of 
the former, save in the expense of seed, as the denser the 
growth, the better it stands up, and therefore the better it 
holds snow. 
The following amounts may be considered as indicating 
the quantity of seed to be used per acre: . 
Hairy vetch, i bushel; crimson clover, 15 pounds; 
field peas, 2 bushels; soy beans, 3 to 4 pecks; rye, i to iX 
bushels; oats, iX fo 2 X bushels; millet, 6 pecks; turnips 
and rutabagas, 4 pounds. 
It is well to harrow the ground just before sowing, and 
to put in the crop exactly the same as for field conditions. 
Once in the ground, the 
crop needs no further atten¬ 
tion until time for cultiva¬ 
tion the next spring, when 
it is to be plowed under 
and the system of clean 
culture again taken up. 
Occasionally an or- 
chardist stops cultivating 
at the proper time, and al¬ 
lows nature to provide him 
with a cover crop in the 
form of weeds. It would 
hardly seem necessary to 
advance any argument 
against such a procedure. 
The growing of Aveeds as a 
cover crop simply means 
that the labor expended in eradicating them will in time 
more than ofiFset the cost of using a legitimate cover. 
Homes of Employees on Stark Bros.’s Plant, North Girard, Pa. 
Some may say that the season of growth will be too short 
for the weeds to ripen seed. If this be true, it will only be 
a short time until those weeds which produce the cover are 
those which have a short season and ripen seeds early, for 
Details in the Planting of Cuttings. Stark Brothers Company. 
