New YorkK AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT SrTation. 443 
of moisture such as are found in the numerous river valleys of 
the State. Most of the men who till had tried sod at one time 
or another; few of the men who favored sod had tried tillage; 
none had tried tillage and sod side by side for comparative 
results. 
THE CHOICE OF A METHOD OF SOD CULTURE, 
From the above considerations it is apparent that there is 
a great diversity of conditions and methods from which to 
choose for an experiment of this kind. In making a choice 
the aim was to select that set of conditions which would show 
whether tillage or sod is fundamentally better. Tillage versus 
the sod-mulch method, or the Hitchings’ method, was selected 
as being most suitable. It was deemed impossible to conduct 
a fair experiment between tillage and sod pastured with farm 
animals because the trees in the sod receive an unknown quan- 
tity of fertilizer from the animals which cannot be given in 
similar amounts and in similar manner to the tilled trees. A 
method in which additions of organic matter other than that 
erown on the land was not chosen because it is wholly imprac- 
ticable in this State to mulch orchards with straw or other 
vegetation—it is impossible. to obtain the material for any 
considerable portion of the orchard area of New York. Be- 
side, under the name of the “ Hitchings’ method ” the sod-mulch 
is being more widely recommended for this region than is any 
other method. 
THE PROBLEM IN HAND. 
What are the comparative effects of, tillage and sod on the 
apple tree? The problem in hand is stated precisely in the 
above sentence. As average and normal conditions in all re- 
spects have been selected for the investigation, it follows that 
the more nearly average and normal a man’s orchard is the 
more applicable the results of this investigation. There are 
abnormal conditions, as steep hillsides, very wet, or very sandy, 
or very rocky land, under which trees will grow but in which 
