The St. Johns herald., 1899-10-14
MAI<IE- IF CPLAN FOR
 ORCHARDS.
By the Agricu!furIst.

During he past year the triZ ma kY
 pf rImcnt Station has b.au uest1rg
 lanIs that gave promise of ;~eing use-
 ful fur ploaihg irlder tp improve h
 soil Sprcial attention h $ been gwen.
 10 plants suitable for grnWtl. in or
 were Mrlil"tuslndica and alf ,Ifa The
 Melilrius is ;hs plant commonly callrd
 "sour clover" in ArIZnna Elsew here
 it is known as Yellow sWeet-clpver or
 Bitter Melilot. II belorgs Io the same
 genus as White sweet clover MelIlo'ns
 alba). the flowers being yellow ins tead
 of white It Is an annual, while the
 wIite-fowered Melilot is a biennial
 Yellow sweet clover -(sonr clovRr)- grows naturally throughout the south
 west, being commonly considered
 weed In southprn Arizona 1t is quite common in grain fields. these being the sOurce of the seed used for sowing in orchards. Seed can be obtained where grain has been threshed. or at grist and rolling mills the cost being slight.
 The see will germinatp only during the cool weather from September to April. The earlier il is sown in the fall the more growth will be secured for turning under in the spring. If sown the latter part of September or the ear ly part of October it will ordinarily at- tain to he'ght of three 10 six inches before being checked by the cool weath. ] CT of December and January. It may he sown as late as December, but will not give as heavy yield as if sown earlier. About 50 pounds of seed should ! be sown per acre.
 The method of seediuy found to be the best is tp level tie ground well SOW broadrast. ftirrow with tfree-ohovel furrOwer. roll. and irri. ate by running the water in the furrows. winch should be two or three feet apart. irriyating it frequently during the winter Wiil not only increase the yield but will .benttit lhe rchard.
 It should be pl0wed under when bf- ginning tn blasaom. which will Ordimar' fly he earl, ih April Al tlisstage the yield proved to he l5 to IS ,ons of green matter ar 8 to tons of dry matter per acre last April. If permitted 10 grow longer 1t becomes n.ore woody, does not turn under sn well and decays less rap- idly. By attaching chaii, to ;he plow all the growth can ordinarily be turn ed unGsr.
 The alfalfa may he sown earlier than the clover, as Inc seed will germinats during wa,mer weather. It does best i If sown in the same manner as descri. ed for the clover. As 1t does; not grow | ss rapidly during the winter, it wilI us- iaIlv no' be ready to pIow under ss 'arIy. Thirty po1i,ds of Seed per acre Sill ba sufficient |
 Peas sown very thickty (l25 to 200 lbs pc acro) during fall 0f winter will give . small vi Id of vines and in additisn arnish s supply of 'Ar~en peas. The pest varieties for this purpose were 'nund tn he. Yorkshire Hero and Cham. ,i0n sf England:
 The White sweet. clover already men. Il toned makes luxurant growth during he summer, but grows little during the winter when the tree are dcrmant. For summer growth it seems to be no better than alfalfa. If permitted tO grow two seasons, 1t dies at the end of ,he seeond. It may be plowed under grern. or simply be allowed to die and iecay upon the surface. Ii
 The benefits from the winter grown green manuring crops are four fold at east. In the first place. The soil IS .hus covered during portion of the rear and the exhaustion of decayed vegetation by the heat of the sun re- ;arded. In the serond place. plant 'ood that would otherwise be washed lway by the rains and irrigation ie aP ,ropriated by growing plants. and thus Iaved for the tree. One of most i'm DOT tant benefits is the improved pyhs-I cal condition of the soil. due to the