New York Agkicultural Experiment Station. 41 



crops. This outcome is in accordance with the judgment of a 

 large proportion of the best orchardists in the State. It is not 

 claimed on the basis of this experiment that sod culture, so-called, 

 is never advisable ; for there are some notable instances of its suc- 

 cess where the conditions are somewhat unusual. In some 

 localities, sod culture may be the only feasible method of main- 

 taining an orchard. Notwithstanding all this, the experiment 

 stands as an object lesson to the orchardists of western New York 

 which, if generally heeded, would greatly increase the output of 

 apples and the profits of the grower. 



An experiment conducted on the Station farm, which was 

 begun some fifteen years ago, has given results that have attracted 

 wide attention, and the publication of them has caused a great va- 

 riety of comment. Reference is made to an experiment in growing 

 apple trees to test the influence and economy of applying commer- 

 cial fertilizers as well as farm manure. The most careful and 

 extensive observations have revealed no more than a hardly appre- 

 ciable difference between the growth and yield of the trees which 

 were given good cultivation with cover crops but no fertiliser of 

 any kind, and those trees receiving the same culture and liberal 

 applications of fertilizers and farm manure in addition. The 

 statements in the Station bulletin setting forth the facts pertain- 

 ing to the experiments have been sharply criticised by commercial 

 interests. 



As in the case of the experiment in orchard management, so 

 here it is not claimed that fertilizers are never useful in apple 

 production, but it is believed that on large areas of orchard land 

 in the western half of the State, good cultivation and the use of 

 cover crops will abundantly maintain the desired growth and 

 yield of fruit. There are other reasons for the belief that a great 

 deal of money is spent for fertilizers in fruit production which 

 might be saved if the right methods of culture were followed. 

 The members of the Station staff are bound to set forth honestly, 

 and so far as it is in their power, judicially, the results of the 

 experimental work which they carry on. No amount of prejudice 



