Show I SOIL MOISTURE IS REQUIRED Where Cover Crops A Are Grown t te Maintain Fertility at High Standard Standard Stand Stand- ard Much Water Is Needed I Tillage gives such measures of aeration aeration aera aera- tion lion of the soil eoll as to develop plant food Chemical action liberates plant food by dissolving the tho inorganic ele ele- ele- ele ments and forming fanning solutions containIng containing containing contain contain- ing plant wiant ani food toad writes E. E F. F Stephens In the tho Denver Field and Farm The Themora Themore Themore more mora com complete lete the tho aeration the stronger strong strong- er the solution of at plant food contained In the soil moisture We all know that the larger the amount of plant I food available tho the less soil moisture Is required to produce a pound of dry matter In other othor words a tree treo can grow and bear fruit In a well aerated soil with less lees soil moisture than Is la required required required re re- re- re to produce tho the same results with the tree feeding on a a. soil less effectively effectively ef et cultivated Aeration therefore sets free Increased In creased quantities s of at plant food and enables the tree-to tree get along with less water A pint of at very rich soup I 1 t more nourishing than a quart of gruel The average planter will peg peA naps haps Irrigate his orchard three or four foUl times In a season Each Irrigation la is preceded by running a or orsome orsome orsome some other method of at opening fur ful rows This requires a t team nm once over after men ha have ve been employed to spread the water Within forty forty eight hours tours some efficient Implement must be je run to get the soil under cultivation tion or the land will crust bake crack open and soon be In worse condition than han before To get the soil back into as good a state of as before the watering we find ourselves compelled to cover it two wo or three times usually once with the Planet Junior and then each way with some implement like the Acme or the Tower cultivator Three and possibly four team operations opera opera- Ions will be needed with each irrigation Ion tion to recover the loose lively mellow mellow mel- mel low ow soil solI condition In which we had the soil before watering therefore three periods of Irrigation will mean coverIng cover cover- Ing ng the field nine times with a team In n our experience add these nine cul cul- to seven to nine regular cul- cul and wo we have sixteen to which following a winter wInZer and spring rainfall such as we have had this season will In suitable suitable suitable suit suit- able soil go a long way towards conserving conserving con- con serving erving moisture for the summer There s seems ms to be no question that a tr tree that Is efficiently and thoroughly thorough thorough- ly y cultivated finds more favorable conditions con con- for vigorous growth and early than the orchard that is sometimes too wet sometimes too dry and handled in the manner noted This applies especially to young orchards This method Is not applicable In the same degree with the older or bearing orchards since an orchard orchard orchard or or- chard aged sixteen to twenty years needs probably seven or eight times 8 a I much soil solI moisture as does the one up to the age of five To maintain main main- taro aln soil fertility requires cover cove crops fOpS To grow a n crop of lover clover vetch or alfalfa In the orchard and thus keep Its ts fertility at the highest standard needed for tor productiveness will doubtless doubtless doubt- doubt less ess require several Inches of water It t is hardly pr practicable to maintain the he same high state o of tillage In the tho theold theold old orchid orchard that c cn can n be given glyen In the young one and water must either ther bo be stored In the sub sub soil soil or applied at suitable times Umes by sufficient irrigation to o maintain an ample supple of moIsture moisture moIs- moIs ture ure in the aged bearing orchard |