Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1911-04-28
ORCHARD PRACTICE
:, Green. of the Ohio Agricul-
,.ral Experiment Station.

MI ctarting an Apple orchard--Soil
II Mo for an apple orchard is not
> % find if one avoids that which
,oo wet for farm crops and is not
ontible of good artificial drain
VI Coil upon which elm, black ash,
orlet maple and pin oak trees
1.-Two is not suitable.
o,charl Soil Indicated by Trees
aE+rops-Sugar maple and chest
trees usually indicate apple tree
Ia and soil where wheat, oats and
..otoes thrive is usually suitable
!, an apple orchard. The soil may
.ge from that having a large per-
srtsge of sand and gravel in it, to
F. Moderately heavy clay, and should
Z fertile enough to grow fairly
GOOD farm crops.
site and Slope-The site may be
: hill or a level plain, but the for
mar Is less liable to be visited by
frosts than the latter.
A north slope may well be chosen
for such winter sorts as drop early
because of premature ripening, and
IN the opposite side of the hill affords
tho right condition for the high col
Il orlng of varieties which are tardy in
N maturing. The eastern side of a
hill is usually more fertile than the
ID western, hence is to be chosen for
orint I1,hi ~
ST of food to bring the fruit to a
4 marketable size.
Choice of Cultural Methods-In
case an orchard is to be titled the soil
requires about the same preparation
for the trees as should be given for
farm crops.
1t Is well to settle, at the outset,
whether the orchard is to be cult
Yated or kept in grass and muched.
The choice is to be determined large
y by local conditions. On hillsides,
where washing is likely to occur, til
lage may be impracticable In such
cases the only way to prevent serious
erosion is by keeping the orchard in
grass and to use straw, corn stalks,
or some other material about the
trees as a mulch. The problem pre-
Sents greater difficulties when the
soil will not support an ample
growth of grass. This necessitates the
use of manure or chemical fertilizers,
with the straw or other material, to
I promote the growth of grass. Lime
may be very helpful on sour soils to
promote the growth of white clover
and Kentucky blue grass. On level
land either method may be followed
successfully and, in any case, more
depends upon the man than upon the
plan adopted.
Advantages of the Mulch System
The chief advantages Of the
system are that the trees begin bear
ing at an earlier age, the fruit is
more highly colored, and there is less
erosion than under cultivation.
Advantages of Cultivation-The
advantages in favor of cultivation
VfOl 6ldSo anu III ultli dlt, IeduOllOh
of the cost of growing the orchard,
because of the income from the crops
which may be grown, and the elimin-
alton of the dangers Of fire and mice.
How to Use Mulch-If an apple or
chard is to be grown in grass, a
mulch of coarse manure or some ma
terial which will hold moist
should be placed on the ground
around the trees as soon as planted.
At first the circle of mulch need not
De more than three feet across, bui
more material is to be added each
year and the mulched area should
extend little beyond the spread OF
the branches. The grass between
the rows of trees should be cut once
ABOUT the trees or left to decay
where 1t falls. The bringing in of
material for mulching will be neces-
sary sooner or later, but additions of
this Sort increase the supply of hui
mus, which means more plant food
and more uniform water content of
the soil.
Cover crops, Use of-In case
cultivated orchards, crops may be
grown and removed for a limited
period, but to avoid depicting the
supply of humus it is necessary tC
piow under clover, soy beans, cow
peas rye, vetch or other plants.
growth of cover crops should begin
at an early period of the orchard S
e&istence, If delayed too long and
other crops are grown and removed
exhaustion of humus will result
VIII become impossible to secure
satisfactory growth of plants to
pioW under because of the shade of
the trees.