Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1914-09-22
AVERAGE COST OF PRODUCTION

AVERAGE COST OF PRODUCTION
The average cost an acre of growing
aud harvesting apples in sod was sol. 10;
under tillage $50 As; difference in favor
of sod, S3l. .75. Subtracting these figures
from the gross return leaves q balance"
an acre for the sodded plats OF S41.3l
for the titled plats $40 81, an increase IN
favor of tillage of s66 SO. For every
dollar taken from the sOdded trees after
deductipg expenses of growing aud har-
yestiug, the titled trees gave Sl.SS.
The effects of the change from sod 10
tillage were almost instantaneous. Tree
and foliage we're favorably affected Do
fore midsummer of the first year, ano
the crop, while below normal, consisted
of apples as large in size as any in The
orchard, the falling off in yield being
dine 10 Door setting. The change for
he worse was as remarkable aud as i'm
mediate in the quarter Of the orchard
turned from tillage into sod, the average
Weld in this quarter was not half that ol
apy one of the other three quarters.
The use of nitrate of soda IN the sod
Mats greatly increased the vigor OF the
trees and was a paying investment, ye'
for the five years period they bore but
trifis more than half as much as the till
ed trees, The very marked beneticia
influence on the sodded trees Of ground
adjacent under tillage teaches that not
only should apples not DO grown IN SOD
but that for the best good OF the treei
there should be no sod near them. Only
in the amount of humus and nitrogen
has the soil been appreciably changed
nv the two treat The quantitie
of humus and nitrogen in the plat TILED
10 wears are so much greater IL is safe to
assume that the tillage and cover crop
treatment conserves humus and nitrogen
halter than the sod mulch treatment.
Grass initiates against apples growing
in sod in several ways which act togeth'
or. namely, lowering the water supply,
decreasing some elements in the iood
supply, reducing the amount OF humus'
10 ering the temperature OF the SOIL, di-
minishing the supply of air, affecting
deleteriously the beneficial micro flora,
forming q toxic compound that affects
the trees.
Sod is less harmful In deep than in
shallow soils. There is nothing in this
az pertinent to show that apples ever be-
come adapted to grass. Sod may occa.
sionally be used in making more fruitful
an orchard growing too luxuriantiy
Other fruits than the apple are probably
harmed quite as much or more by 500.
The effects Of grass occur regardless OF
variety, age Of tree, or cultural treat
mept. and are felt whether the trees are
on dwarf or standard stocks. Because
of their shallow root systems, dwarf
trees are even more liable to injury from
grass than standards.
LIVE STOCK NOT A CORRECTION
Hogs, sheep or cattle pastured on sod
ded orchards do not overcome the oac
effects of the grass. Owners OF soddeG
orchards often do not discover the evil
effects of the grass, because they baVs
no titled trees with which to make com
parlsons. 1t is only under highest till
age that apple trees succeed in nurser
ies. An the evidence shows that they
do not behave differently when trans
plantsd. Grass left as a mulch in an or
cbard is bad enough. Grass without
the mulch is all but iatal-it makss tn
tree sterile and paralyzes its growth. II
is the chief cause Of Improbable orch
ards in New York.