New Yoek Agricultural Experiment Station. 921 



Five years' work with commercial fertilizers has now 



Range and been completed in the leased vineyard at Fredonia; 



results and from two to four years' work with similar fertili- 



of tests. zers, and in some cases with manure and cover crops 



also, has been carried on in cooperation with the 



owners of six other vineyards in different parts of the Grape Belt. 



The results prove, mainly, that the problem of grape fertilizers is 

 very dependent on other factors, and no very definite conclusions as 

 regards specific applications have been reached through these compre- 

 hensive tests. 



In the Fredonia vineyard, readily available nitrogen appears to be 

 a determining factor in crop yields; but the other tests give no positive 

 indications in the same direction. In these tests the duplicate plats 

 in many instances give variant results; or the favorable influence of 

 a fertilizer element in one combination will be offset by a loss or no 

 gain when the same element is used in another combination. The 

 conclusions which might be drawn from one vineyard are also quite 

 liable to be at variance from those furnished by another vineyard 

 under apparently comparable conditions. 



In the vineyard at Fredonia eleven plats werejaid 

 Tests at out in a section of the vineyard where inequalities of 

 Fredonia. soil and other conditions were slight or were neutral- 

 ized. Each plat included three rows (about one- 

 sixth of an acre) and was separated from the adjoining plats by a 

 " buffer " row not under test. One plat in the center of the section 

 served as a check, and five different fertilizer combinations were used 

 on duplicate plats at either side of the check. Plats 1 and 7 received 

 lime and a complete fertilizer with quick-acting and slow-acting 

 nitrogen; Plats 2 and 8 received the complete fertilizer but no lime; 

 on Plats 3 and 9 potash was omitted from the complete fertilizer 

 combination; Plats 4 and 10 received no phosphorus; Plats 5 and 11, 

 no nitrogen; and Plat 6 was the check. The materials were applied 

 at such rates that they provided for the first year 72 pounds of 

 nitrogen per acre, 25 pounds of phosphorus and 59 pounds of potas- 

 sium; and for each of the last four years two-thirds as much nitrogen 

 and phosphorus and eight-ninths as much potassium. The lime was 

 applied the first and fourth years in quantity to make a ton to the 

 acre annually. Cover crops were sown on all plats alike and were 

 plowed under in late April or early May of each year. These differed 

 in successive years, but included no legumes. The crops used were 

 rye, wheat, barley and cowhorn turnips separately and the last two 

 in combination. 



The cultivation differed only in thoroughness from that generally 

 used in the Belt, the aim being to maintain a good dust mulch during 

 the whole growing season. Pruning by the Chautauqua System was 

 done throughout by one man, who pruned solely according to the 

 vigor of the individual vines and left four, two or three, or no fruiting 

 canes as appeared best. The vineyard was thoroughly sprayed, all 

 plats alike. 



