Show INTER CROPPING PRACTICED IN ORCHARDS I 1 ED I 1 ol 01 v m WHERE CLEAN cultivation IS THE RULE the cultivated orchard Is more productive and consequently more profitable than the average orchard which Is neglected or in which grass or hay Is grown asserts F S merrill Merrl ll assistant in horticulture kansas state agricultural college in the young orchard however lio wever a judicious system of Inter cropping may be practiced without causing injury to the trees and at the same able crops will be produced in the waste space between the rows says mr merrill Merrl ll sufficient space should bo be left on each side of the freeto permit thorough cultivation of the tree rows As a general rule the roots of the tree extend beyond the outer ends 0 of f the limbs A strip may be left proportionate onate in width to the spread of the branches fruit trees used one of the most familiar types of inter cropping cau can bo be found lc ic planting filters fillers between tho the permanent trees and often between the rows the peach or some type of early maturing apple can be used for this purpose but in most cases the grower will not remove m 0 ve the filters fillers until they have attained such size as aa to have interfered with the permanent trees for this reason the use of iba trees as an inter cropping system should be discouraged amore A more successful system of turning to practical account the waste space may be found by utilizing one of the cultivated crops such as potatoes in Im sections where the fruit growing industry has been well developed the use of small fruits has been a successful practice such fruits as the blackberry and the raspberry however cannot be so thoroughly cultivated as some of the general crops and for this reason will not have so beneficial on an effect upon the soil ao an ideal crop Is one that does not utilize the same game type of plant food as ithe alie orchard tree makes its fis growth in the of the season and does not conflict with with the trees for moisture luring the late summer and early fall months when there Is a possibility of a drought in the opinion of mr merrill the use of such crops as wheat and usually of alfalfa because of its heavy drain on the soil moisture Is question able lie he contends watermelons Water melons hav been raised profitably without apparent injury to the growing trees alter after the trees become well grown and approach the age of profitable bearing they should not be forced to compete with other crops for plant food and moisture in such an orchard where the danger from washing Is not great a system of clean cultivation usually will be found most successful this will include light plowing or disking in the early spring this tren treatment aerates the soil increases the supply of available plant food makes possible the absorption of a large amount of spring rain water besides furnishing a more favora favorable blip medium for the development of the coulig roots keep weeds down this should be followed by a bar harrowing or cultivation to kaep down weeds to conserve moisture and to ito aid in the plant development it if Is not necessary to cultivate up to the trunks of the trees since the most extensive feeding roots of a tree are at some distance from the trunk an an extension disk or harrow thai will allow the operator to stir up the th soil under the ends of the cpr spreading bading branches will secure the best result with the least possible injury cultivation should not be carried oi on after the middle of june since at thai time the normal wood development ol 01 the tree should have been completed and the formation of fruit buds should be encouraged rather than wood pr production duct fon A tree that Is forced to produce a hargewood gewood lar large wood growth late in the summed will not set a full crop of fruit buds since the heavy fruit and wood production rarely coincides points auti puti out mr merrill Merrl ll A system of clean cultivation tl on 11 practiced continually may result in lowering the amount of humus in the soil eoll for this reason it Is sometimes necessary to plant a cover crop in the fall that Is to be turned under in the spring or to apply a large quantity ol of barnyard manure in the fall or spring the first method Is to be preferred on the hillside localities or where there Is a probability of blowing or washing of the soil during the months |