The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-30
HORTICULTURE
CHA

h1llAElD % Oh 1lAAlOA6 SeueAOA8 o@'O
photographs of the tops, trunks and
root sy stems of apple trees that have
been grown for five years on a well
cultivated plot, a plot cultivated IN
corn, one in clover, n in blue grass,
one in oats, and one receiving no cul
tivation at all. These pictures make an
impressive object lesson. The bulletin
says:
Throughout large sections OF Illinois
NAV be found the rotting remnants OF
once extensive orchards, representing
large original expenditures OF both
labor and money. On examination
and inquiry it will be found to be al
most invariably the case that the true
reason for the failure or dying out OF
an orchard is the lack of sufficient, or
the entire absence OF, proper cultIVa
tiop and care. While the Illinois agrl'
cuIturiet has been devoting his time
and attention to the care OF his held
and garden crops, it is too often the
case that his orchard has been left to
care for itself. with the above men
toned results.
Though these failures are most gen
eraIlv attributed to winter freezing,
their chief cause is winter drouth In
lands not 30 cultivated as to conserve
the moisture Of the soil for the use OF
the trees. An average stalk OF corn
at time of tasselling draws a quart OF
water a day from the soil. A heavy
coat of grass, clover, oats or weeds
will rob the trees Of much mos ure,
and in time of drouth may cause them
to be greatly enfeebled or to perish
outright.
In 1887 a series OF experiments l
orchard culture was begun at the IllI-
nois Station that have been continued
ever since. During the first two or
three year the work was not very sys,
tematic, but the general results showed
that the efsc5 Of the cultivation was
to conserve the coil moisture. IN 1890
a portion o. ground was set aside for
the further and more systematic de
NG1CDLl-Lg Va Ills SAEN@@A~- 49,
rows of trees were planted in this cub
division of the o~rchard-three OF BIN
Davis and three of Grimes Golden.
This new plantation was then divided
into five pIats. The first OF these was
cultivated clean, the second cropped
with osts, the third with corn, the
fourth with clover, while the fifth and
last was seeded with blue grass.
This system of cropping and cultiva
ton has been since continued, and the
results of the experiment are shown In
illustrations and tables.
The trees in the corn plot were about
tQ1aI to those IN the plot that was cul
tivRted clean, but this was due to the
fact that the trees were only fifteen
feet apart each way and so shaded the
corn that it made but a stunted growth
and drew very little moisture from the
soil. On these two lots the roots were
much more numer, US and deeper, the
trunks larger, the foliage more album
dant and greener, and the tops more
Utility LA1A A41hg Vi gAC OgA4CAEs
A test of the soils OF the various
plats showed that the clean plat anC
corn plat each contained II per cent.
of moisture. the clover plat 10, the
oats plat 8. and grass plat s
The cost Of cultivation is an import
ant item. During 1897 the main
orchard at the experiment station was
cultivated thirteen times after the
spring plowing-three times with the
disc, three times with the spring tooth
harrow, and seven times with the
smoothing harrow. In an exception
ally dry season, such as that was, the
ground should be gone over about once
q week during the growing season.
The cost Of these civilizations was $16
per acre. This may seem high for a
single seasons outlay, but when it is
remembered that there we're fifty trees
to the acre in this orchard it will be
seen that the cost per tree was but 80
cents for the season. AS the trees bore
heavily, kept a luxuriaDt foliage to
the very end Of an extremely dry sea
son, made 6 good growth, and went
into the winter in first class condition,
it will be seen that the cost was com
paratively low when placed alongside
the benefits derived.
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