602 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



5 GEORGE v.. A. t915 

 SYSTEM OF SOIL MANAGEMEKT. 



The general practice is to fall or spring plough the orchards, cultivate to July 1, 

 and seed to a cover crop. This is done annually in 85 per cent of the orchards. The 

 fall ploughing seems to have given good results as the spring ploughing. No case has 

 been brought to our attention where any injuiy has followed fall ploughing. The 

 thorough working of the orchards is a general practice, and tJiis is done with the disc 

 and spring-tooth harrow. 



Some orchardists report excellent results from allowing alternate strips between 

 the rows to remain for one year in clover. By this method one-half the ground in 

 which the tree is growing is cultivated and the other haK in clover sod. This gives a 

 heavy growth of clover which is cut during the summer and ploughed under in the 

 fall. Red clover is used where this is practised. 



COVER CROP. 



Twenty-six of the orchards visited were seeded to buckwheat, four used buck- 

 wheat and common vetch, three used clover, and the others used no cover crop. It 

 would appear that buckwheat has largely replaced Crimson clover and vetch as a 

 cover crop. This is due largely to the cost per acre for seed. The vetch or clover costs 

 • about $2.50 per acre for seed and the buckwheat about 50 cents. This disadvantage, 

 however, is more than offset by added fertility secured from the use of a leguminous 

 cover crop. It would appear that half buckwheat and half vetch is a good combina- 

 tion cover crop. Common vetch is the best cover crop to use. 



FERTILIZERS. 



Nearly 50 per cent of the orchards were fertilized principally with stable manure, 

 and 25 per cent used stable manure in conjunction with commercial fertilizer's. 

 Muriate of potash was used at from 100 to 500 pounds per acre. " Nitrate of soda 

 from 50 to 200 pounds per acre, and phosphate fertilizers from 250 to 1,000 pounds 

 per acre. Basic slag from 500 to 1,000 pounds per acre is now being used extensively. 

 The tendency is toward annual moderate applications, and where this is being followed 

 best results are being obtained. 



SPRAYING 



Only eight of the orchards visited were unsprayed, and~^those were only small 

 areas. The general practice is to spray several times and, as will be seen from the 

 following, the majority of growers give several applications: — 



8 orchards not sprayed. 



On sixty*-seven per cent of the sprayed orchards, lime-sulphur arsenate was used; 

 on 25 per cent Bordeaux arsenate was used for the first and lime-sulphur arsenate 

 for the remaining sprays; on the remaining 8 per cent Bordeaux arsenate was usecL 



An effort was made to determine the number of gallons used per acre by different 

 orchardists, but owing to lack of uniformity in the size of trees sprayed, little in- 

 formation of value was obtained. It was also noticeable that many growers were much 

 more thorough in their application of the material, and the orchards given many 

 applications were not in many cases as free from scab as those given fewer applica- 

 tions and that done thoroughly. In a great number of orchards the tops of the trees 

 produced fruit with a much larger x>ercentage of scab than the lower branches, which 

 is due to the more thorough application of spray material to the lower parts of the 

 tree. 



Kentville. 



