The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1910-05-18
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CLEMSON EXTENSION WORK
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crops IN our orchardS is being more
/ fully appreciated each year. yet i'm
some OF the principal fruit districts
of the south we find many large or
chardS where no cover crops have
been planted. The result is the soil
i'm these orchards is becoming moro
Impoverished each year by the leach
ing of soluble Fertilizers by surface
washing and for want of humus. In
on the more elevated land which is
hilly or rolling with sandy soil and.
clay sub-soil. On such soil it is hard
to prevent surface washing entirely.
but is could be reduced to the mini
mum by the proper use of cover crops.
Not only do these cover crops prevent
surface washing, but they utilize the
soluble fertilizers which would other
wise leach out of the soil. When tho
crop is turned under, it adds consid-
cradle humus to the soil and the fer
tiiiHers required 20 produGo It become
available for the use of the trees. The
plants used as cover crops are of two
distinct types, leguminous and non
leguminous plants. The legumes.
such as clover, cowpeaS and vetch in
addition to furnishing humus have
the power of collecting nitrogen from
the air and adding this valuable fer
plants. The non-leguminous plants.
such as rye, oats and turnipS, do not
collect nitrogen from the air but when
sown in the early fall consume soluble
plant food during their growth which
would otherwise be lost by teaching
and which is returned to the soil when
the cover crop is plowed under in the
spring. Most soils where orchards
are planted are deficient in both hu-
mus and nitrogen and therefore a leg
luminous cover crop should be selected
If the trees make sufficient growth
without the use of nitrogen fertilizers
then a non-leguminous cover crop
may be planted.
/ think / am safe in saying, howev-
er, that there are few commercial or
chards in the south that are not in
need of both nitrogen and humus To
accomplish our purpose of adding nj
trogen and humus to the soil and to
prevent surface washing, we should
have both winter and summer crop
Rye followed by cowpeas will givo
best results on poor soil. The rye
"A No l., Il.
der that it may cover the ground as
soon as possible and prevent surface
washing. The rye should be turned
under not later than the last Of March.
This may be accomplished by double
narrowing with the disk harrow and
this method is preferable to blowing
as it avoids the danger of blowing too
deep near the trees. a strip of land
six to ten feet wide between the rows
of trees should be prepared and the
peas sown broadcast about the first
of May. Early in September the pea
vines should be worked into the soil
by means OF disk harrow and the
land can be seeded TO rye or crimson
clover.
After ore or two crops of rye and
peas have been worked into the soil,
crimson clover or hairy vetch may be
sown instead of rye. Crimson clover
makes an excellent cover crop from
September to May. AS soon as enough
seed have ripened to reseed itself, the
pl< -,
with a disk harrow. If the clover is
allowed to occupy all the space be-
tween the rows of trees during the
months of March and April, it will
tent, and therefore ! think 1t best to
turn under the clover early in March.
My plan is to fertilize and cultivate
the trees early in March, leaving a
narrow strip Of clover in the middle
to reseed itself. A strip two to three
feet wide will produce enough seed
for the entire middle. After the seed
have ripened. the clover is worked in
to the soil with disk harrow and
the land may be smoothed and the
seed scattered over the entire middle
by means OF tooth harrow. Hairy
vetch is an excellent cover crop and
may be treated in the same way as
crimson clover. The seed are sOwn
in August or September and the crop
worked into the soil in the spring
If crimson clover or hairy vetch is
to be planted on land where neither