Show COVER CROPS FOR ORCHARDS many sides sid ea to question of at oft best way to supply vegetable supply matter of irrigation the subject of the beat crop to use itse for or supplying vegetable matter to our soils bolls in young orchards Is one that has many sides we think there la Is no bo doubt that in most of our orchards aids particularly where the tha land has not been in alfalfa a cover crop of some aoma legume is very desirable just what cover crops shall be used and how this shall be handled must depend on the soil age of trees and other facto factors ra for the young youn orcha orchard r d we believe that the best system la Is t to grow agrow whichever leguminous crop can best be grown in the district between the trees during the latter oart of the growing season where the seed can be jit started arted and tt crop grown successfully rod red clover is 13 probably as good as aa anything though canada peas soy beans beana vetch crimson clover etc are all good where the conditions are right to produce d uce plants ot of growth we think the crop should bo be grown in the latter part of the season because the needia all the plant food available during the early growing season normally a young orchard tree should begin growing in april or early may as it should make the larger part of the growth before the lat of tuly july it if the seed la is pawn ln in early spring for a cover crop the young plants soon begin to take this plant food and aru are apt to materially cut down the growth ot of the trees this taking up tip of plant food by outside plants is ia tle de the later part pari of the season tor for we always have a tendency where clean cultivation Is given and plenty ol of water to keep our trees growing too long and as a result they are apt to go into the winter with immature wood in many cases we wa think that the best beat practice is to sow this cover crop in drills leaving an open space from three to lire ilya feet either side ot of the tree row the cover crop Ls la ot of twofold two fold advantage it adds vegetable hber fiber to the soil which makes the soil more active and easier to irrigate and on the ground in the win ter protects the soil from the drying and freezing and holds the snow and leaves from drifting many mani of our growers object to leaving the crop on the ground in the winter vinter ai a they thing that fall plowing Is necessary la in the orchard in order to have the tha grou ground nd in condition to irrigate this thia is true to a certain extent but in few cases we believe la Is there any real difficulty in irrigating orchards that are plowed in the spring it if tho the land lacks slope it simply means that the irrigating furrow must be deeper and the tha furrows need not be so close together as of course the flatter the ground the more water will be taken up as the water advances across the field |