The herald., 1896-12-12
FLOWING VS.. CULTIVATION
(By James Boyd.)

There are two methods in practice
among orchardists in regard to the
stirring of the soil in the orchard. One
looks to nothing but cultivation, while
the other uses a combination of both.
Cultivation involves the total absence
of weeds at all times, and the constant
stirring of the soil after rain and after
each irrigation. Unquestionably this is
the neatest way, and for the first few
years of the young orchard while tha
land Is not fully occupied by the roots
of the growing trees and the necessity
of fresh stable manures or of some green
fertilizer for plowing under for furnish
ing enrichment to the young trees, as
well as for the formation of humus,
is not so apparent, it must occur to the
reasoning fruit grower that ultimately
the trees will require something in the
nature of a fertilizer, and that plowing
is better adapted to burying it within
reach of the roots of the plants than a
mere stirring of the surface soil.
Flowing means that when the usual
spring and summer cultivation Is finish
ed and fall rains come and the annual
cleaning UP of corrals. etc, is gone
through with, and the seasons accum-
ulatiOn of fertilizer has been applied
on the orchard, the plow then comes in
to use for the purpose of turning II un-
der, that it may the sooner become de-
composed ard in fit state to be taken
up by the roots of the growing trees as
1t becomes incorporated with the soil.
This also applies to commercial fertil-
izers, for if they are applied on the sur
face of the ground they are in a meas
ure beyond the reach of the active roots
of the trees, and more or less waste is
liable to occur. Those who have stud
led the absorption of fertilizers by the
soil tell us that while the nitrogen of the
iS an ci oor ipd INT he,
soil the potash and phosphoric acid de-
scend with difficulty. in irrigation or by
the action of the winter rains. hence the
necessity of having them buried within
reach of the roots of the plants. Were
the mere stirring of the soil the sole OBJ
ject, it could be accomplished just as
readily by cultivation as by plowing,
but the plowing accomplishes more for
each plowing exposes fresh soil to be
acted upon by the atmosphere, both
chemically and mechanically. There
Is also another advantage in plowing,
ard that is that it better tends to break
up the crust that forms in cultivation,
which renders the soil less absorbent
of the natural rainfall or of the water in
irrigation. There is also another great
advantage of plowing over irrigation,
and that it that it permits of growing
come green crop during the winter time
for plowing under in the spring.
In the San Jose valley, Santa Clara
county. clean cultivation was the GUS
tom for years and no weeds allowed to
grow until the land began to show by
diminished quantity and poorer quality
that something else was needed.
The experiment was tried of allowing
winter vegetation to grow and plowjEg
in in the spring. with beneficial results.
The roots of this growing vegetation
also penetrate the hard pan that forms
and help TO break it up and make it por-
Gus besides leaving the decaying roots to
enrich the soil.
Flowing should be done as early as
the winter rains will permit. and the first
plowing should be turned toward the
trees, leaving the furrow made in finish
ing in the center of the row, where it will
act as drainage furrow to keep the
soil dry in excessive rainfalls. and in or
der to get the most benefit the plowlng
should be done in the direction of moder-
ate fall, for If the furrow should have
great deal of fall it would have ten
dency to permit washing of the soil in
heavy rains. The second plowing should
be done in the spring about the time
of the last rain so that the growing veg
citation may have as long time as pos
sible TO mature before turning under.
and the plowing should be reversed so
as to leave the ground level as before.
Good judgment based on experience,
should be used in determining when the
last rainfall occurs, for should the or
chardist be beyond the reach of irrigat-
ing water it would be quite drawback
to let the soil get too dry before the
final plowing. Again where irrigating
water is plentiful no harm will be done
by leaving the plowing until dry weather
comes, for irrigation will then do good
service after all rains are over. Shouli
this course be determined on prepara-
tons should be made for irrigation
ret v,1n .i,,tr 30,
be on the safe side. The tendency of the
times is rather growing in favor of win
ter plowing in the orchard