72 



AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



Under the opposite conditions, such as obtain in most young 

 orchards or in any orchard that is still growing and fruiting 

 well, and retaining its foliage until late in the season, fertil- 

 ization is much less likely to show a profit. Even in these 

 cases, however, there is often enough probability of benefit to 

 warrant a limited trial of fertilization, but only over a relative- 

 ly small area, and with most of the orchard left unfertilized as 

 a check. 



These trials are especially necessary, in the intermediate or- 

 chards, — those on the zone lying between the two extreme 

 types just described. Occasionally this intermediate type will 

 respond very strongly to fertilization without necessarily show- 

 ing the characteristic marks, as is practically illustrated in 

 the Johnston orchard. 



A General Fertilizer Recommendation for Apples, 



For preliminary use in orchards that are apparently in 

 need of fertilization, on the part of those who are unable to 

 carry out such a local test as is shown later, we are now recom- 

 mending the general fertilizer indicated in Table VI, The 

 fertilizers are stated in amounts per acre rather than in amounts 

 per tree, because of the varying numbers of trees that are 

 planted on an acre. The amounts per tree are readily obtain- 

 able, however, by dividing the present amounts by the given 

 number of trees per acre. For young trees, these amounts may 

 be reduced approximately in proportion to the area of soil 

 covered, making this area correspond with the lateral distribu- 

 tion of the roots so far as possible. 



table VI.— a general fertilizer for apple orchards. 



(Amounts per Acre for Bearing Trees)* 



* For young orchards, reduce these amounts in proportion to area 

 covered. 



