42 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



in a young orchard, and these crops can be made to more than 

 pay for the labor put on the >vhole. Potatoes, corn, beans, 

 small fruits, and root crops are all well suited but be sure that 

 these crops do not rob the young trees of the plant food which 

 belongs to them. Decrease each year the number of rows as the 

 trees grow, and dig up around each tree so that the entire area 

 receives cultivation. This practice gives the necessary tillage 

 and often almost as much can be secured on this land as when 

 unoccupied by the fruit trees. This cropping of orchards need 

 not be confined to young orchards, in fact one of the best 25 

 year old Baldwin orchards I ever saw produced between the 

 rows of trees enough silage corn each year to feed 26 head of 

 dairy cows, but the dairy herd in this case was kept for the 

 support of the orchard primarily, all the manure being used to 

 feed the trees — very little commercial fertilizer being purchased. 



So much, then, for the culture of orchards where tillage and 

 cover cropping is possible. But how about the ]\Iaine orchards 

 — and there are many of these — where cultivation is impossible, 

 those on rocky hillsides where the soil is shallow and likely to 

 dry out frequently? There are thousands of acres of land in 

 this state which, in my judgment, never should have been 

 cleared ; but now that this has been done it would seem that 

 since they are too rough to be profitably tilled they should either 

 be planted to apple trees or reforested. I have tried to show 

 that cultivation of orchards was a method of feeding them. 

 How shall this orchard that cannot be cultivated be fed? 



It must manifestly be done either by using stable manure as 

 a top dressing or by the application of commercial fertilizers. 

 Nitrogen, potash, and phosphoric acid and possibly lime are 

 the elements most needed. While not positively understood 

 at present, it is supposed that these four elements influence the 

 growth of fruits as follows : 



Nitrogen causes wood and foliage growth so essential to the 

 life of the tree and its power of production. 



Potash is supposed to directly afifect the size and quality of 

 the fruit, constituting more than half of the ash, and combining 

 to form salts with well known acids. 



Phosphoric acid is supposed to affect quality and in excessive 

 quantities to help in the coloration as well as to hasten maturity 

 of fruit and branch. 



