Green Manuring.

Mt Benger Mail, 1 April 1914, Page 4

Green Manuring.

[he clean cultivation oi orchard lands during the spring and summer inomilis Las been stroujly advocated from time to tujie. Lhat the trees IH.-n.lit by such treatment is beyond uUistioii. Persistent clean cult i\ al ion, !iox\e»er, must in time result in the -oil Ih'i oimn" delicient in humus. Liu ,it : be ietulil\ ami economically renewed from time to time by the planting ol a cover-crop, which in due course will be ploughed in. There are many plants which are suitable-tor Uns purpose, such as mustard, rape. itipius, ami some varieties of clover. li is important, however, that a cover crop should be planted tit the right lime that is, w hen the soil is warm and moist, so lhat germination ol the sevii max readily luke place, to be folded b\ the unchecked growth of the. t „iuii>. It the soxxing oi the crop be i it until late in the season when the -oil has become cold, the winter weather will clue- the growth lo such an extern that only a scanty instead ~f a luxurious crop will be available tor ploughing under in me spring, instances haxe occurred where lutcplanlcd crops appearing lo be too poor lo be ploughed und<T in Uie spring .a • ucen allowed to remain untouched during the spring :ud early Miiiinier months, The result, if the s>ea- , son proved to be a dry one, lias been lhat the fruit trees have suUercd hum tack of moisture due lo the want oi cultivation. .Not only does the ploughing under ol ,i eo.er-crop materially improve the condition of the soil, bui ji such a crop i, righth selected the storing up ol uiiio'cn from the atmosphere xvUl cou" -nie.ably increase it- fertility. Ulowers xxho jo far have had no experience ul the result of ploughing in a wellgrowu cover-crop will be both surprioed and pleasei! with the vigorous ,m.i ueailh} growth that the trees will uia.tu during the season. Lhe eliect, wi.iie verj marked during the last few

months, is not confined to that sea-t-on, in.; will be noticeable iu a lesser degree during the following two or three years. Journal ot Agriculture.