Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-10-25

should be preceded by lime ana the
seed should be inoculated. The COW
err crop should be turned under the
following spring to furnish organic
matter for the plants.
The cover crop is an extremely
important factor when the orchard
is cultivated during the first part
of the season because it reduces
washing of the soil during the fall
ard winter. 1t also serves to re-
plenish the humus which is so neces'
sary if the soil is to be kept fertile
and in good physical condition and
it serves as a protection for the
roots of the trees during the WIN
ter. The Ieguminous covers crops,
such as clover, vetch, coWpeas, etc,
add nitrogen to the soil and thus
reduces the fertilizer costs.
In young orchards, especially
where the land is new, 1t may be
found practical to grow crops OF
corn between the trees until they
come into bearing. The corn should
be so planted that cultivation Will
not interfere with the young trees.
AS the trees get larger, a greater dis
lance should be left between the
corn and trees. The corn should
have peas Of some winter-growine
cover crop sown between the rows al
the last cultivation so that there will
be abundant organic matter to turn
under the following spring.
This system of cultivation ca
be followed, not only in the level or,
chard but also on the terraces: Only
such crops as are frequently Guilt
waited should be grown between
trees. This, of course, except the
cover crop which is turned under
early in the spring. AS soon as the
trees get large enough to bear fruit
and require the use Of the whole
area, no crop should be grown in
the orchard except the cover crop.
The entire purpose Of this inter.
cropping Is to bring in some cash
return before the trees come into
bearing. The trees should always
receive first consideration and M
crop should be grown which will
rob them Of water or plant food
needed for their development. Where
truck crops are profitable they are
very satisfactory because they re
quire intensive cultivation (also
needed by the trees), do: not shade
the young trees and are out Of the
way before time to plant the cover
crop.
When young trees are set on
newly cleared ground that is very
steep, some three or four feet
around each tree should be cleared
of sprouts during the first season.
This will also encourage the natura,
grasses of the soil. In some sec
lions it will be found that lespedezat
will spring up in great profusiOn.
About the last of August the ground
should be disced and put into shape
for the sowing of some grass seed.
If the soil is lined of if the orchard
is in a limestone section, a. heavy
sowing of blue grass and red clover
made during September should give
start towards a good sod. Use 212
bushels of blue grass and 10 to Is.
pounds of red. clover. Where the
soil is unumed a mixture of from
21a to 8 bushels, equal part, of red
top and orchard grass should be
Sown in the early spring. If ef-
Yorts are made to conserve the natl
ural growth Of lespedeza and like
plants one should get a fairly good
mulch the first season. w. e.
Where the hillsideS are so steep
as to prevent cultivation and the
use Of a terrace, it becomes heces-
sary to SOW to grass and have a sod
orchard. The trees in the sod or
chard should be worked around fire.
quently. The area. of the surface
kept cleared should increase with
the size of the tree. Where it can
be done, the grass should be cut
two or three times a season and
allowed to rot on the ground. In
some sections Of the United States,
the practice of raking up the cut
grass and piling it around the
trunks of the trees is followed, buG
this makes a nice place for mice
and rabbits and is not advisable
in this section.
Never under any consideration
let the crop of hay mature, either
in a sod orchard or in clean cultr-
waited orchard; nor should a crop
of small grain be allowed to matu
in a clean cultivated .orcahrd.
- OF the thirteen elements which are
required by plants for their growth
all except four are found in the ordi-
nary soil in sufficient amounts. The
tour which are most often deficient
is nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium
and calcium. The last of these, cal
cium, is applied in the form Of lime
or limestone, not because it is need
I'd as an actual food by the tree, but
because it corrects the aciity and
improves the physical condition of
he soil. The principal effect of nj
-rogen is the increase of the wood
growth Of the tree and is, therefore,
: most beneficial in the young orchard.
'otassium and phosphorusS on the
Jther hand, are of the most use in
producing fruit and they should be
lpplied more liaberally in the bear
ng orchard.
The fertilizer requirements of a
young orchard and "a bearing or.
chard differ. In a young orchard
every effort should be expended to
get a good growth of the trees and
his requires a fertilizer rather high
in nitrogen, while for the bearing
trees, the most necessary elements
are phosphorus acid and potash.
Organic matter is very impor-
amt constituent in all good orchard
soils. Where organic matter can be
Z ooPpAAOo NY ICII " GWCANC LOIlo
of barnyard manure per acre every
two or three years the question is
not hard one to solve, but under
existing conditions in Georgia it is
necessary that this organic matter
be supplied through the use of a
cover crop. We are particularly for
tunate in being able to grow numer.
Gus leguminous crops in this section,
which supply not only the organic
matter so essential for trees, but
also most Of the necessary. nitro.
gen.
AS nitrogen is the most expensive
fertilizing element, considerable
saving can be made by putting it
into the soil through the use of le-
gufninous cover crops. When com.
mercial nitrogen costs around twenty
cents a pound, experiments have
demonstrated that nitrogen can be