80 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



20. The general fertilizer that we are now recommending 

 is a combination carrying about 30 pounds of actual nitrogen, 

 50 pounds of actual phosphoric acid (P2O5) and 25 to 50 

 pounds of actual potash (K2O). These are the amounts per 

 acre for bearing trees. Only where potash is known to be 

 needed, should the larger amount be used. Suitable carriers 

 and formulas for obtaining these materials are given in Table 

 VI and its context. 



21. This general fertilizer can be modified and directly 

 adapted to the actual needs of any orchard, by following the 

 local testing plan indicated in the discussion. Such a test re- 

 quires some work, but for those whose livelihood depends to a 

 considerable extent upon their fruit, the time thus spent should 

 be most profitable. 



Ques. Is that soil full of potash? 



Ans. Nearly all orchard soils are very full of potash. 



Ques. Do you get as much potash from a sandy as from 

 a clay soil? 



Ans. No, there is much more potash in clay soils, but even 

 a sandy soil is usually better supplied with potash than it is 

 with any of the other elements. 



Ques. In that experiment, you have lots of potash, any- 

 way? 



Ans. Yes, that is the situation exactly, that while the fruit 

 of apples does require large quantities of potash, that is no 

 sign that the addition of potash to a particular soil will result 

 in a response from your trees. That soil may already have 

 enough potash, but be limited by certain other elements, which 

 in their actual requirements may be much below tha potash re- 

 quirement, so that essentially the fertilization of an orchard 

 is the fertilization of a piece of ground. You have got to be 

 thinking of the requirements of the piece of land all the time. 



Ques. What is the size of the plots? 



Ans. These plots are one-sixth of an acre each. 



Ques. About six trees? 



Ans. Eight trees, in this case. 



Ques. Do we come to the conclusion that barnyard manure 

 is always a good fertilizer for an orchard? 



Ans. We don't want to come to any conclusions yet, be- 

 cause we have some data and some efifects of barnyard manure 



