The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1912-05-02
CULTIVATE THE ORCHARD
SMALL CROPS CAN be GROWN
Between TREES.
w. n. Chandler, Assistant Professor
Of Horticulture, University
Of Missouri.


Of Missouri.
Especially in the Ozark region, the
importance of thorough cultivation IN
q peach orchard should be empha'
sized. If other plants are permitted
to grow in the orchard, and the trees
are thus weakened, they lose their
leaves early in the fall and therefore
have their buds more readily started
by warm periods in winter; and OF
course the peaches are also smaller,
generally on the weakened tree.
Cultivation for a young orchard is
often essential to success in shaping
the young trees. If the tree In us
frst summer Is making a weak
growth, and it usually will be, with
out cultivation, we can not shape 1t
by the summer pinching method,
because on weak trees the pinchlng
Is likely to merely stop the growth
instead of causing branching and
stockiness OF the twigs left. Thus IN
the uncultivated order, the tw1gs or
new growth are likely to be so weak
that they will die through the winter,
either from drying out or from the
effects of certain twig diseases, and
thus new head must be started from
practically the same stock that was
planted the spring before. OF course
this would not be uniformly true even
on an uncultivated orchard, but there
would be a large percentage of SUCH
trees.
The cultivation for one-year-old
orchard should be such as would be
given to the crops In the orchard, and
it will generally be found desirable
to grow some sort Of crop IN
peach orchard the first and SECOND
summer. Among crops to be grown,
the best would be some low crop IKE
beans, Lima beans, or other garden
crops, where such can be associated
with peach growing profitably, or
even potatoes or sweet potatoes, but
If it is necessary corn can be grown.
If corn is grown in a peach or
chard it should not be so close to
the trees as to shade them and tend
to make an upright head. Generally
II is doubtful if even the entire net
profit on crop of corn between the
trees would be worth the difference
between the crop the third summer
that would be secured with trees that
have a maximum spreading growth,
as compared with those that have
been shaded, making weaker twigs
and have a smaller growth by the
end of the second year.
The cultivation for a peach orchard
beginning with the third summer
should at least 60 on up to july II
possible, it is best to cultivate only
with such tools as the disc harrow
or spring-tooth harrow. In the
Ozark region, a spring-tooth harrow
is hard to use even in the soil that
is not so rocky that it can not be
used, if the cultivation does not be-
gin early in the spring, as this SOIL
tends to harden around the little
rocks so that it is difficult to get the
teeth into the ground, but If cultiva-
ton begins early in the season and
is kept up continuously the orchards
in a large part of the Ozark region
could be worked with a spring-tooth
harrow. This cultivating may be
done with a disc harrow that can be
extended to reach out under the trees
for soil that is not too rocky for Its
use.
Where cultivation begins early In
the spring, it may end in July. If II
does, crab grass may be permitted te
grow to cover the soil, or some croI
like rye should be put in after cul
tivation ceases.
If the trees are not making sufh
cient length growth even when the!
are receiving the right amount o
clipping, it would be we'll to grow
every few years crop OF cowpea'
after cultivation ceases.
If the orchard can not be sprayed
for curculio. land I think it general
" should be) cultivation should con
tinue until the first or middle or Au
gust, II possible, for from about tn
goth Of July we'll up into August tn
curculio is in the ground and 1t cal
be largely killed by a shallow cult
walton at that time.
Some growers, where cultivation
continued late in the summer, do no
begin their cultivation in spring unit
a considerable amount of vegetation
has started and this is plowed undel
thus keeping up the supply of humus
Generally, after this blowing. the Of
chard could be worked with spring
tooth harrow. In my opinion, this !
q method of cultivation that woul
be well worth giving trial unde
Ozark conditions. Further north, tn
earlier cultivation would probably b
better.
Alfalfa needs a certain kind Of bat