Mr. Andrews:  I think cultivation is the thing that ought to be done until the trees get well to bearing, anyway, and then it furnishes nitrogen to the soil to seed it down to clover.  If we don’t do that we are very liable to neglect that element in the soil.  The better way to my mind is to cultivate for eight or ten years, and then I do think it is all right perhaps, for farmers, I mean, who will neglect the cultivation if they depend on it.  That is, if they make up their minds it is better to cultivate than it is to seed down, their trees are more apt to be neglected.  During the busy part of the season they won’t cultivate as constantly as they ought to.  If they would do that I have not much doubt but what cultivation would be all right right along, if you will furnish that nitrogen that ought to be in the soil for the protection of the crop.  Clover is the easiest way to get that, and the trees will be more sure to have the benefit of that if you sow to clover and grow a crop of hay and turn it under, possibly let it be into clover two years, but turn that under and cultivate for two or three years and then put into clover again.  I think that would be preferable for the farmer, for the farmer especially, than it would to undertake to either cultivate all the time or seed down all the time.

I don’t believe it is a good thing to seed down where there are young trees growing and while the orchard is young.  If you will plant your potatoes in that orchard between the rows and cultivate it, you will do the cultivating.  I haven’t got very much faith in the average farmer—­I don’t mean you horticulturists—­but the average farmer.  If he will plant trees and you advise him to cultivate them while they are young, they will be neglected after the first year or so.  He may while the fever is on, he may cultivate them one year and the next year about half cultivate them, and the following years they will grow up to grass and weeds.  Whereas, if he plants potatoes he gets just the right cultivation for the trees if he cultivates the ground enough to get a good crop of potatoes.  Then in the fall when he digs the potatoes he loosens up the ground, and it takes up the moisture, and after the fall rains they go into winter quarters in good shape.  It seems to me that is as near right as I could recommend.

Mr. Hansen:  What distance apart ought those apple trees to be?

Mr. Older:  Another question along that line.  Suppose we concede that a young orchard ought to be cultivated until it gets eight or ten years old, then which is the best when you seed it to clover to cut the clover and throw the hay around the trees for a mulch or just take the hay away, or what?

Mr. Andrews:  I think it would be better to put the hay around the trees for mulching.  If the hay is used and the barnyard manure is taken to the orchard that would fill the bill pretty well.