Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1909-08-13
FIG. xxx1-p1uMs HANGING THICK.

u.
come within three or four feet Of tho
young trees, as they need plenty of
sunlight and moisture. q
The filler crop should receive fire.
quent and thorough cultivation. AS
soon as the land can be worked in the
spring it should be plowed, unless this
has been done the fall before. After
blowing the disk or spring tooth har-
row very effectively breaks up the
clods and fines the surface. A final
narrowing will complete the process of
getting the soil in shape.
Cultivation.
There are two principal objects in
cultivating the orchard. In the first
place, cultivation, as explained in ar
ticle No. 2. liberates plant food and so
enables the plant to make q faster
growth. 1t is wasteful practice to
you have made the fertility that is al
ready there available by cultivation.
The second reason for tillage is to
conserve moisture and promote deep
roofing. The upper layer of cultivat-
ed soil is dry, and in consequence the
roots will turn downward to seek u
layer in which there is more moisture
At the same time the upward rise of
water by capillarity is checked just at
the dry layer, so that little is lost by
evaporation. 1t is very important to
make the soil vast storehouse Of
moisture for orchard trees. since they
must have large quantities If they are
to produce profitably. A full grown
apple tree gives off as much as $50 gal
Ions of water day through its leaves
during the summer months.
Cover Crops.
AS the trees come into bearing the
growth Of cultivated crop between
the rows should be discontinued. Some
cultivation, however, will still be nee
essary If the best results are to be Sc
cured One Of the best means to give
this is by blowing and preparing the
soil in the spring and then sowing
clover or some legume as catch crop
This will supply the soil with nitrogen
and humus and keep it in good phys
zeal condition. Calves. sheep or hogs
may be turned into the orchard in the
fall to eat the clover. or 1t may be
plowed under the next spring.
The trees will be so large by this
time that 1t will be impossible to cul
tivate close to them. nor is this neces
sary, since the feeding roots are far
ther out in the spaces between the
rows. The space close around thu
trees may be seeded to blue grass o.
some other perennial.
AS the orchard gets older it may b.
left in clover for two or three years
ut time. An occasional blowing an(
reseeding will be necessary to renew
the clover and to prevent the orchard
from becoming sod bound. If used a
a hog pasture the hogs will keep tn
soil loosened up sufficiently. at th
same time adding considerable fertil
, lty. In such case all the treatmen
i that is necessary Is an occasional re
r seeding. If well fed the hogs will d
0 no damage to the apple trees. o.
the other hand. they will do grea
deal of good by eating wormy fru
and thus destroying the worms.
Where it is not convenient to allo'
hogs or sheep in the orchard an occ'
sional load of we'll rotted stable nj
i nure will be beneficial. Do not pi
this around the trees. but scatter
!, evenly over the ground. Wood asht
are good substitute for manure. b,
> can seldom be obtained in sufficiel
|. amounts to be used to advantage.
If the orchard is properly attende
to from the start little pruning will
necessary 1t is much better to pine
off a twig occasionally than to cut Q
branch as big as your arm fe