The Ordway new era., 1910-01-21
RAISE COVER CROPS
Fruit-GroWers Advocate Their
Use, But Few Try Them.
Wherever Experiment Has Been At.
tempted It Has Proven Advantao-
eous and Beneficial to the Orch.
ard In Quantity and Quality.
(BY ], M, MINER,

(BY J. M. MINER.
One OF the greatest problems that
the orchard men In the west are con-
fronted with is Just what is proper
cultivation. In the years past orch
ardists have not found 1t necessary to
use cover crops very extensively. be-
cause 1t has not been absolutely nee.
essary. and they .have not given very
great thought to the matter. This is
a more important question In the ir-
rigating districts Of the west than
many Of our orchardists realize. Many
fruit-growers are divided on the ques-
tion as to whether 1t Is better to give
clean cultivation in the orchard or
whether to plant 1t with a good cover
crop of some sort. Arguments on
both sides Of the question are very
good, though we believe them to be
more SO on account Of local soil con.
ditions than as a general plan.
We find that while the majority Of
the fruit-growers believe that cover
crops are the proper thing. very few
are actually trying them. They are
putting in all their time keeping the
orchard very clean. About the only
fellows growing cover crops are those
growing crops of weeds. They have
two reasons for the propagation OF
this latter crop-either too busy or
too lazy to clean and cultivate. Wher-
ever 1t has been tried 1t has been
proven advantageous and beneficial
to the orchard. both in quantity and
quality OF yield. to grow some legume
kSnl lr loft tSH tnsa
discretion of the orchardist. Some say.
clover: some. cow peas; some think
alfalfa. It depends upon the hurry
one is in to receive the benefit from
the cover crop. Some have suggested
that a better plan would be to use
judgment and divide between clean
cultivation and a cover crop. During
early years OF an orchard a great
many people like to grow crops Of
some kind between rows In the orch
ard. AS to the extent OF this We must
leave 1t to the judgment OF the orch
aardists entirely. He must determine
whether or not the class OF soil in
which his orchard is planted will
stand this strain without undue dete-
rioration Soils especially adapted to
orcharding are very frequently soils
:aat are not sufficiently deep or Of
the proper quality to produce other
crops without impairing their fertility.
These crops so taken from the ground
In he earlier years Of the orchard are
not in the na;Gre Of cover crops: they
add nothing to the ground. As
usual thing until the orchard is about
six years old It is not necessary to
use cover crops. At this stage In the
life OF the orchard It is certainly a
good plan to use n cover crop for one
season at least. Then after two or
three years, depending upon the char
acter of the soil. 1t Is a good plan to
repeat this process. Even in the rich.
est OF soils this plan will show an
improyement over continual clean cul-
tivation.
In growing cover crops great care
must be exercised that too much wa
ter is not given the trees. Careless
ness in this results at times In great
damage, almost as great Us the failure
to put on a sufficient amount Of water.
II the orchardist is supplied from a
poor water right and apt to be little
shy of water 1t is better not to try
to raise a cover crop. as In doing so
he is always sure to have his orchard
too dry. in trying to keep UP the sup
ply OF the cover crop. Then. too. in
asmuch as he cannot sufficiently cul-
tivatc. he will be able to retain only
a small part of the moisture which he
put on the ground. If orchardists
must work with the problem of cover
crops or clean cultivation he must
act according to his judgment OF local
conditions, water supply and soil con-
ditions and should make clear study
of these With that end In view.