EXPERIMENTS IN ORCHARD CULTURE. 



15 



tion of the orchard under consideration includes 45 trees, cover- 

 ing an area of .93 acre. 



As shown by the accompanying plan the trees were divided 

 into four lots, vis.: 10 trees receive an excess of muriate of pot- 

 ash ; 10 receive sulphate ; 10 receive kainite ; and 15 are left with- 

 out special potash treatment. The orchard is kept under clean 

 cultivation. • 



EFFECT OF POTASH SALTS.— DIAGRAM OF ORCHARD. 



f * * * 



Muriate of Potash. \ 



Fifteen pounds nine ounces muriate of potash. J 



Apply on area of 15 feet radius about each ) 



tree; rate of 1,000 pounds per acre. I 



L 



CHECK. 



No special potash food. 



J * 



I 



Sulphate of Potash. ; 



Fifteen pounds nine ounces per tree, as above, i 



I 

 V 



I 



Kainite. ! 



Fifteen pounds nine ounces per tree, as above. ) 



I 



HISTORY OF THE ORCHARD. 



The trees were set (25x25 feet) in 1881-3, in a cultivated field. 

 The land was kept under cultivation for four or five years and 

 cropped with corn and beans. It was then thrown into a sheej. 

 pasture and left without treatment until 1891, when Professor 

 Balentine started some work relative to the effect of Thomas 

 slag and crude South Carolina rock. At this time, 1891, each 

 row of five trees received an application of 15 lbs. nitrate of 

 soda. 10 lbs. of muriate of potash and 50 to 130 lbs. of Thomas 

 slag or South Carolina rock. The fertilizers were applied as a 

 top dressing in the sheep pasture. 



