Productive orcharding, modern methods of growing and marketing fruit . their own section, however, they are famous as soil are sown in July and are killed by fall frost. Cow-horn and Purple-top Turnips.—The great advantage ofthese plants is cheapness, which certainly appeals to a man whenhe has fifty acres or more of orchard to cover. They also fur-nish an immense amount of humus, make a fairly good cover,and with the purple tops at least one may pull out and sellenough of the best turnips to far more than pay all the expenseof the crop and still leave plenty on the groun
Productive orcharding, modern methods of growing and marketing fruit . their own section, however, they are famous as soil are sown in July and are killed by fall frost. Cow-horn and Purple-top Turnips.—The great advantage ofthese plants is cheapness, which certainly appeals to a man whenhe has fifty acres or more of orchard to cover. They also fur-nish an immense amount of humus, make a fairly good cover,and with the purple tops at least one may pull out and sellenough of the best turnips to far more than pay all the expenseof the crop and still leave plenty on the ground for a 114 COVER CROPS The objections to turnips are that they furnish no nitrogen, butthey do have a large amount of sulfur and other ill-smellingconstituents which are likely to be very offensive in the springwhen the crop is rotting down and before it can be plowed is a further objection that they are likely to live overwinter and go to seed, making rather an unsightly appearanceto people who are easily worried by such things. They have not. Fig. 45.—Buckwheat as a cover crop. One of the most satisfactory crops for this purpose,especially where soil conditions are not of the best. proved a really serious weed but are merely a little too con-spicuous with their gorgeous yellow flowers. Dwarf Essex Rape.—So far as the writers experience andobservation go this is the cheapest of all covers, excepts weeds,and it is by no means a bad crop to use. It will grow anywhere,grows late in the autumn, and usually survives the winter, sothat it catches and holds the elusive nitrates, furnishes a fine lotof humus, and makes a surprisingly good cover, as it has a very CRIMSON CLOVER 115 fibrous, though not a very large, root system. Where a good standlives over winter it is sometimes rather difficult to get rid of itand it is always unsightly. These are not serious matters, how-ever, for a cover crop is not grown for its beauty, and by using acultivator with broad
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectfruitculture, bookyea
