STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 43 



setting a tree, put a handful, or two or three, of fertihzer around 

 the young tree after the tree had been planted, or possibly thrown 

 it in when the tree was being planted. I wanted to find out 

 whether it was possible to injure a young tree because I knew 

 this practice was followed by growers. A great many of our 

 people take a small bag of fertilizer, and think that in planting a 

 tree, two or three handfuls thrown around it will just send it 

 right along. This work was followed at the rate of from 600 

 pounds to 3000 pounds per acre, applied around the tree at 

 planting time. The work was duplicated by mixing this quan- 

 tity of fertilizer with the soil dug out for planting the tree. We 

 found the first year that in every case where the larger quantity 

 was used there was lessened growth, and that the check plots on 

 which there was no fertilizer at all, made a better growth the 

 first year than where the fertilizer was used. Where we used a 

 moderate quantity of fertilizer, 600 pounds to the acre, the trees 

 made growth somewhat similar to the trees alongside which had 

 not received any fertilizer at all. And even where the manure 

 was used around the trees the growth was not as good as where 

 the manure was not used. Of course good cultivation was given. 



Question : \Miat was the condition the second year ? 



Prof. Blair : I am coming to that — dealing with the first 

 year first. On the trees where the manure was worked into the 

 soil before the soil was put around the trees, the results were 

 not as good as where the manure was put on the surface and 

 worked in. Also, the fertifizer put upon the surface and 

 worked in to a depth of three inches did not cause the damage to 

 the young tree that the fertilizer did where it was mixed with 

 the soil thoroughly into which the tree was planted. 



The second year we expected to see something a little more 

 definite, but after making careful notes of the four varieties we 

 had under test, and taking measurements at different places, we 

 found that there was little difference in all the trees to which the 

 fertilizer was applied, except that where the 3000 pounds was 

 used the growth was not quite so good as when from 600 to 3000 

 pounds was used. 



Question : You mean 600 pounds to 3000 pounds on little 

 trees as you set them out? 



Prof. Blair : At that rate per acre. 



