The Delta independent., 1909-05-21
Horticultural Lore.
THlage, Fertilizers and
Shade Crops for Orchards.

Clean cultivation has been practiced
by the majority of our orchardist from
the time the first trees were planted.
1t would be difficult to explain just
why this plan has been followed but it
is probable that it was brought to us
from California. While a certain
amount of cultivation is necessary we
wish to state emphatically that we do
not believe in any system by which the
soil is exposed to the action of Colorado
sunshine during the heat of the sum-
mer. In fact we believe, that this
and the older orchards are in some
cases beginning to show the effects.
A composite of the practices of
number of the most successful fruit
growers results as follows: Use the
turning plow in the spring, each year
or often e[enough to prevent the
ground from becoming hard. Follow
the plow with a harrow or disc, if
lumpy, and this with smoothing har-
row. Some use a float instead of the
harrow. The subsequent cultivation
consists in going over the ground often
enough to prevent crust from form
ing and to keep the weeds down. This
necessitates cultivation after each .ir-
rigation and after rains. The Planet
Jr cultivator and the smoothing har-
tion is continued until the branches are
bent down by the fruit which will aver
age about the first of August.
Winter cultivation is practiced when
the condition of the ground will permit.
Two civilizations during the winter is
considered to be about right. The
Planet Jr. or a disc harrow is used for
this purpose.
Turning now to the classification of
the benefits of tillage it would seem at
first thought that the system followed
by our best orchardists met all require
ments. We find first that tillage i'm
proves the physical condition of the
land. By the physical condition is meant
it's tilth and general make up, whether
it is compact and heavy or whether it
is loose and loamy. But any one who
has travelled about among the orchards
knows that in the majority of cases the
soil is far from being loose and loamy.
On the contrary, it soon becomes COM
Lact lacks fibre and it becomes puddled
after irrigation or rains. We have
even seen orchard soils so hard two
inches below the surface that an open
ing could be made into it only with the
aid of pick. And yet thorough culti
vation had been given the land for
SO we follow on down the classification
and find that tillage may hasten the
decomposition of organic matter. Here
we believe is the cause of our difficult
ties. Cultivation, bare soils and in
tense sunshine do hasten decomposition
and in fact the burning up of such
material The classification is correct
but we have failed to adapt our system
of cultivation to the climatic condition.
We are absolutely dependent upon
decaying organic matter to keep the
soil in proper physical condition; that
is loamy and friable. But upon ex-
animation we find that this material is
largely absent, having been literally
sacrificed as a burnt offering to the
gods of clean cultivation.
A certain amount of cultivation is
necessary but one need not wear out
his soil in an effort to supply it.
In the case of young orchards, unless
the ground is very poor. some hoed
crop will probably be advisable. Such
crops shade the soil and their growth
need not interfere with the proper
development of the trees. Among the
crops used are cantaloupes, potatoes,
squashes and corn.
WENDELL PADDOCK.