1.58 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



COOPERATIVE FERTILIZER EXPERIMENTS. 



A large number of tests of fertilizers upon several of the leading fruit 

 crops have also been made. The results have been particularly notice 

 able where the experiments have been carried on in vineyards. This may 

 have been in part due to the fact that grapes are very largely grown 

 upon sandy loam soils, wliich are somewhat lacking in fertility, and after 

 a number of crops have been secured, the vines are not able to make the 

 re(jnii-ed growth and the bunches will be snuill in l)oth numbers and 

 size unless plant food is supplied and, in most vineyards, this has been 

 neglected. 



The experiments included (he use of various combinations of nitrate of 

 soda, nuiriate and sulphate of potash, and ground bone or acid phosphate, 

 in amounts of from 300 to 500 pounds iJer acre. It was found that the 

 older vineyards upon light soil gave best results when su]»plied with 

 fertilizers containing the three elements, nitrogen, phosphoric acid and 

 potash. A mixture of 50 pounds of niti-ate of soda, 100 pounds of 

 muriate of potash and 300 pounds of acid phosphate produced a very 

 noticeable gain in the growth of vines and upon the number and size of 

 ilie clusters as Avell as of the berries themselves. Where the soil contains 

 a fair an:ouiit of humus, jjart or all of the nitrate of soda may be 

 omitted, and upon the clay loam soils the potash may be reduced, or left 

 out entirely, as acid phosphate or ground bone used alone gave nearly, 

 if not quite, as good results as when potash was added, while the addi- 

 tion of nitrate of soda tended to increase the growth of the vines and, 

 besides lessening the crop, resulted in an increase in the amount of rot. 



The use of potash in a fertilizer, particularly ui;on sandy soils, re- 

 sults in a very noticeable imju'ovement in the Havor of the grapes and 

 when one wishes to grovr strictly high-class fruit it is advisable to use the 

 sulphate rather than the muriate of potash. 



Other experiments with the use of fertilizers upon apple and peach 

 orchards and strawberry plantations are also under way. Although the 

 lesults have been less noticeable than Avith the grape, the ex]>eriments 

 have been carried far enough to indicate that where the soil is fairly 

 well supplied with humus, excellent results can be obtained from the 

 rse of potash salts and ground bone or acid phosphate in the amounts 

 lecommended for vineyards. 



DEMOXSTRATION MEETINGS. 



During the year, in addition to speaking at a dozen or more farmers' 

 institutes upon horticultural topics, I have conducted a number of 

 demonstration, or, (as it was not often possible to give actual demonstra- 

 tions) it might be better to call them inspiration meetings, where topics 

 relating to the use of up-to-date methods in fruit growing were dis- 

 cussed. 



* Three of these meetings were held in Van Buren countA' and one each 

 in Allegan, Newaygo, ]\Iason and Barry counties. In every case it has 

 been reported to me that as a consequence of the meetings, the farmers 

 are giving more attention to their orchards and vineyards in the way of 

 spraying, cultivating and the use of fertilizers. 



I have also attended the annual and winter meetings of the Michigan 



