New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 483 
Table XII shows that there is 1.8 tons per acre half-foot 
more humus in the tilled plat than in the sodded plat of this 
experiment. 
But little is known about the value of humus for fruit soils. 
Some of the best orchards in the arid regions of the West have 
almost no humus. Nor are the functions of humus well known. 
It can hardly be held, therefore, that the slight excess of humus 
in the tilled plat of this experiment has made any great differ- 
ence in either tree growth or crop. The data given are offered 
as a contribution to the knowledge on the subject and to offset 
the oftmade assertion, unsupported as yet by evidence, that the 
tillage method of managing an orchard “‘ burns out the humus.” 
The temperature of the soil is lower in the sodded land.— 
The great importance of a proper soil temperature is recog- 
nized by all who grow plants. The florist and gardener want 
more or less “ bottom heat” for all the plants they grow and 
the farmer and fruit grower shun cold soils for all of their 
crops. It is scarcely probable that in this climate, if there be 
an abundance of moisture, any of our soils ever become too 
warm for any crop. While, then, no data can be set forth to 
show that the apple will do better in a warm soil than in a 
cold soil, these general considerations would lead any apple- 
grower to choose a warm soil, and would lead him to prefer, 
other things being equal, a method of soil management which 
gives him the warmest soil. 
