The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-23
Fail Flowing in the Grove.

VIII De Satisfaction IN the hlgneSJ DC
gree before many years come and go.
Fail Flowing in the Grove.
I am very much interested in the ''Ques-
tions in Orange Culture published in the
last two issues of the Fruit Grower, as
own grove near Hawthorne. l have
adopted the idea, as most of your CORES
pOndcnts have, according to question No.
II in your issue of the 23d inst, of keep
ing the grove clean up to June l, then per
hitting grass etc, to grow. have made
two cuts with machine and intend to let
the grass rot and commence to turn under
as shallow as possible with plow about
Nov. l. I see by question No II referred
to above, never turned i'm
The point wish to ascertain definitely
is, is it the best thing to turn all this
partially rOtted grass, etc, under in the
fall, which is hard to turn under, or is it
best to allow it to remain on the ground
and thoroughly rot until spring. then
turn under with spring dressing of fer
tilizer? Some parties say that the grass,
etc, contains a certain percentage of am
monia, which has a tendency. to draw
cold, and that groves with the ground
covered with grass through the winter
will suffer more with the cold than groves
that have had all this gross, etc, turned
These writers say the ammonia in this
matter draws the frost.
[ have heretofore turned all this stuff
under simply because l saw others do so,
/ suppose, not knowing the scientific
points in the question. Now this express
sion in question No. II, Never turned
in, - puts me at sea as to the best way to
handle the question. 1t seems to me that
if the grass does not damage the grove by
Twin On of thTOnCrb
winter that it would be best to allow it to
remain on top and thoroughly rot, then
sow the fertilizer broadcast in the spring
and turn all under.
1t would probably be easier to move
around through the grove in gathering
the fruit by not having it plowed up, and
if any fruit dropped on the ground the
grass would form cushion, as it were,
for the fruit to drop on and also keep the
fruit clean. have twenty-five acres to
90 over and if it is better to wait until
spring to turn under 1 would like to know
it. If you can give me definite informa
tion from a scientific standpoint as well
as a common sense one, will fully appre-
ciate it. Hoping to hear from you.
c. W.nAGIN.
The idea that the ammonia from the
decaying grass augments the degree of
cold in the grove is rather fanciful, and
the yaporization of ammonia is employed
as an agent in artificial freezing. 1t is an
undoubted fact that trash or even thick
coating of green grass will attract frost,
when on the naked earth right along
side none will be deposited. A tender
plant growing close beside or surrounded
by mulching will be nipped by the frost
more severely than it would be if stand
ing on the naked earth.
int hi 10 oir Gfa nf
circumscribed area, and it is impossible
to believe that, for an acre or more Of
trees, whose branches are several feet
above the surface, there will be created,
by the presence of trash, any consider
able difference in the degree Of cold when
that cold is anywise severe. When there
is barely cold enough to deposit frost at
all, the trash will make the difference be-
tween frost and no frost. But If the tenn
perature falls, say to 90 or 90, or there
is a sharp wind, the difference between
the mulched surface and the naked earth
would amount practically to nothing.
A small amount of nitrogen or ammonia
escapes from the rotting trash and from
the soil itself-where it was stored up
through the growing season by the
shading of the herbage-and little also
teaches away when it rains. It would be
well if this could be saved by means of
some winter growing crop, such as Grim
son clover or even rye. 1t would, no
doubt, also benefit the soil if this trash
could be plowed neatly under and ex-
cluded from the atmosphere. But it is
difficult to do this without blowing deep
furrow, and a deep furrow will lacerate
the orange roots more than the trash is
worth. If it is one-half turned under
with a shallow furrow and then, perhaps,
dragged out on to the surface again with
a harrow, piece of botchery is perpe-
trated, which is waste of time, if not
worse.
When the autumn application of fer
tilizer is made it is advisable to work it in
with a spading harrow or the new
''weeder," running shallow. Flowing is,
or ought to be, a back number, especiallyiin
a bearing grove where roots stretch
throughout the entire area. A crop of
COW peas or of Florida clover, sown very
thick and shading the soil, will bore 1t in
every direction with its roots like a thou
sand mole crickets; then these will die
and rot. leaving it perforated as with in
Vulnerable small drain tiles, while the
carpet of decaying heritage - fattened
down with a roller, if necessary-will
protect the surface from the wind and sun
and from the impact of the rain; in the
spring it will be found rich and mellow as
an ash heap; and the trees, with timely
rain or irrigation, will make an astonish
ishing bloom and 'growth.-C. w. Agin in
Farmer and Fruit Grower.