1730 Report of Farmers' Institutes 



during the winter store nitrogen and hnmns in the soil and create 

 good conditions for the production of maximum crops of fruit 

 hitcr. 



The cultivation is planned to produce a quick, vigorous growth 

 in the early season, then check growth in the late summer and 

 allow the buds time to ripen before the cold weather comes. To 

 obtain this we begin to cultivate just before the time of blooming 

 and keep thoroughly cultivated for ten to twelve weeks, when the 

 cover crop is sown. The exact amount of cultivation at each end 

 of the season varies with the moisture conditions. The object is 

 to maintain good moisture conditions until the fruit is well grown 

 and then allow the tree to cease vigorous growth in order that 

 we may have good, solid fruit and allow the buds to ripen. 



fertilizers 



When the orchard comes to bearing, we plan to give all the 

 fertilizer the trees can make use of. Experience has shown that 

 an excess of phosphoric acid and potash does no harm. An excess of 

 nitrogen, however, produces an overgrowm, soft, sappy fruit which 

 does not carry to market well, and is generally unsatisfactory to 

 handle. If available in too great an abundance in the latter part 

 of the season, it also produces a tender bud which does not stand 

 the winter well. To meet these conditions without taking any 

 chances of producing unsatisfactory results with the nitrogen and 

 still use enough to produce large crops, we have adopted the 

 plan of applying at the time of the first cultivation in the spring, 

 an excess of the amount of phosphoric acid and potash which we 

 think can be used. Then when the trees come into full leaf — 

 usually the latter part of May — we apply nitrogen according to 

 the needs of the tree as indicated by the color of the foliage. On 

 good ground with plenty of Icgiiminous cover crops, the color 

 frequently indicates that there is enough nitrogen to produce 

 the crop. If the foliage is not dark enough we then apply from 

 one to two pounds of nitrate of soda per tree, spreading aroimd 

 as far as the branches reach and working in, always bearing in 

 mind that too much nitrogen is worse than too little. We much 

 prefer the nitrate to any other form because it is so quickly 

 available, and we have waited until the tree has indicated the im- 



