368 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
INTERCROPPING THE ORCHARD 
Mr. Richardson (Kansas); Really I am not prepared at 
the jjresent time to give before the Soeiety what I believe will 
be the revSult, but I ean deseribe the experiments I am mak¬ 
ing. About five years ago, the subjeet eame up, whether it 
would be profitable or injurious to grow alfalfa in an orehard. 
The matter was taken up with Prof. W. A. Taylor, and he 
stated it was his opinion that it would be detrimental; 
and I took it up also with W. A. Barnes, who eondemned 
the praetice. However, I sowed five acres in the month of 
August. The following spring I planted five acres in trees. 
The first year we got three crops of alfalfa, leaving about two 
to three feet in the tree row, which I had the men with their 
scythes cut to mulch these trees. The next year I got four 
erops, and this past year I got five crops. These trees have 
made a most wonderful growth. The eireumferenee of the 
stems ranges from twelve to thirteen inehes. It is demon¬ 
strated beyond a doubt that we can have tree growth, and 
we have had fruit for two years on Jonathan, Missouri Pippin, 
and Wealthy; and I find this, that the mulehing of these 
trees with a strip three feet wide has a tendeney to prevent 
growth of weeds and grasses. In the fall, we remove this 
mulch, and wrap the trees to prevent the ravages of rabbits, 
and also of the flat-headed borer. We haven’t practiced 
spraying. I wanted to see what results we would get from 
leaving the orehard to take care of itself. I believe that we 
all agree that red elover is one of the best eover crops we ean 
grow in an orehard. The theory I advaneed in sowing alfalfa 
is that the roots penetrate beyond the depth of the tree roots, 
while elover really vies with the roots of the apple tree for 
their moisture and substance. I believe I eould reeommend, 
at least, to grow this with trees until they reach an age of 
bearing; and if, after that, it beeomes neeessary to turn under 
this alfalfa, we have aecomplished one result, at least,—we 
have made the ground profitable up to the bearing period of 
the tree, with $25 or $30 an aere. lean see no reason why I 
should plow up this ground at the present time. But we 
shall hope to earry this experiment on farther, and I am 
keeping a very aecurate reeord. As a eheek, I planted a plot 
of about three hundred trees on ground where we praetieed 
clean cultivation. 
Professor Van Deman: I will mention two cases with 
whieh I am aequainted of alfalfa in orehards. You perhaps 
have all read of, and some have seen the orehard of Mr. 
m 
Grant T. Hitehings near Syraeuse, New York. This last 
year I made a visit there, and he has a young orehard in 
alfalfa, about five or six years planted, that is certainly doing 
well. The growth was good, the eolor was good, and the 
alfalfa was good. Mr. Mike Horan of Wenatchee, Washing¬ 
ton, is one of the good fruit growers of that great belt, and he 
praetiees the plan of growing alfalfa in his orehard up to 
bearing age. He told me last fall that it is his eommon 
praetiee to grow alfalfa, but he doesn’t mow it. Mr. Horan 
runs a disk harrow over his alfalfa, and ehops it up just as 
mueh as possible several times during the growing season. 
He thinks that is as good a way to treat an orehard as the 
clean culture method; and better. His trees are eertainly in 
fine eondition. 
President Goodman (to Mr. Riehardson): You take 
your elover off ? 
Mr. Riehardson: Yes, it brings a revenue. 
Mr. Rowe: I believe, one of the most serious mistakes 
fruit growers have made is attempting to grow a money erop 
of any kind in an orehard. I find it from the Atlantic to the 
Pacifie, and from the North to the South. Our men who 
have been in the business the longest, after years of trying to 
grow erops, and really making money out of erops, have 
discarded them, and have found that they have been losing 
money instead of making money. I want to refer to one 
grower as an example, Mr. Sessions. He has been in the 
business a great many years. He has peaeh orehards on his 
plaee twenty-five years old in sound and perfect condition. 
He does not under any eireumstanees grow any erop to take 
off from the ground; but he does, during the first four years 
on the peaeh orehard, and t-he first five years on the apple 
orehard, plant rye and sand veteh in the orehard, and plow it 
under. He cultivates five feet eaeh side of the tree, up to the 
first of June, then sows the spaee, and eontinues to eultivate 
up to five feet till the middle of September. Then again, 
early in spring, about the middle of May, he goes through 
and turns the rye and veteh under. He eultivates for about 
six weeks all the ground, then plants again. When he begins 
to get fruit, he gets four and five times as mueh fruit and 
better fruit and better priees than his neighbors who grow 
eorn and potatoes in their orehards. There is absolutely 
no question about the praetiee in that section of the eountry. 
The only man today who grows erops in the orchard to get 
money while developing it is the fellow who aetually has to 
do it to have bread to live on. 
Mr. Von Herff: I would like to ask Professor Van Deman 
what his experience is in raising eotton in his peean orehard in 
Louisiana. 
Professor Van Deman: The boll weevil has about done us 
up on the eotton business, but until the boll weevil eame, we 
found no trouble whatever with the peean trees in the eotton 
field. 
President Goodman: The eharaeter of the soil is the 
eontrolling faetor. Assoeiated with this is the question of 
moisture. With rich soil and plenty of moisture, inter- 
eropping is generally suecessful. 
Mr. Richardson: The soil is loess soil. There are only a 
few plaees in the world where they have it. I want to ask 
if there is not a differenee between a leguminous plant, and 
wheat, eorn, rye, or oats. 
President Goodman: Yes. 
Mr. Lake: I want to eall your attention to the faet that 
Mr. Van Deman lost track of the sense of the point. There 
is an abundanee of water in the Hitehings place. There is 
no question about growing alfalfa in irrigated seetions, 
where there is plenty of water. But you don’t do it unless 
you have to. I think it is heresy to talk like this about 
growing erops in an orchard. 
Mr. Temple: As to the heresy of growing paying erops 
in an orehard. One of the finest orange groves I know in 
Florida is distinetly a by-produet of a vegetable farm. The 
vegetable farm is the original proposition, and the owner 
planted orange trees at their regular distances in his vege¬ 
table pateh. When his trees got too big, he planted more 
vegetables and more orange trees, and has forty aeres of 
orange groves that ean’t be excelled, and his oranges netted 
him $2.85 on the tree last year. 
