he
plowing as possible done in the fall. But a large crop of apples or a
large and late corn husking or potato digging may interfere with this
on some farms and make spring plowing more desirable. Always plan this
work in connection with the other farm work so as to give the best
distribution of labor.

After fall plowing either the spring-tooth harrow or the disk harrow
is best to use to work up the soil and no time should be lost in
getting at this as soon as the land is dry enough in the spring.
Sometimes the disk harrow can be used to work up the soil in the
orchard in the spring without any plowing at all, especially on loose
loams where there are few stones. But on newly plowed land a disk cuts
too deep and there is too great danger of injuring the roots. On
spring plowed land the spring-tooth harrow usually gives the best
results. After the soil is thoroughly fined and worked into a mellow
bed and as soon as the period of excessive moisture in spring is
passed, a lighter implement like the smoothing harrow or a light
shallow digging cultivator should be used to stir the surface of the
soil only.

The growing period for an apple tree begins as early as growth starts
in the spring and continues up to about midsummer. If cultivation is
to stimulate growth as much as possible, it should be done during this
period. The first object of cultivation in the early spring is to
loosen up, aerate, and dry out the soil, which is usually too wet at
that time. As cultivation is continued the soil will become fined and
firmed again by the time drier weather comes on. A fairly deep
digging and lump crushing tool is the best implement to use up to this
time, and a disk or spring-tooth harrow meets these requirements.

After this period is passed and during drier weather, cultivation is
carried on for a different purpose, namely, to conserve moisture by
making a thin dust mulch of soil over the surface. This is best
accomplished by shallow-going implements of which the spike-tooth
harrow, the acme harrow, or a light wheel cultivator are best. As the
season and the amount of rainfall vary, so must tillage operations be
varied. In an early dry season begin with the lighter implements
earlier. In a late wet season keep the digging tools at work later. As
soon as the soil is in good physical condition the principal object of
tillage is to modify moisture conditions.

As a matter of practice three to four harrowings at intervals of