16 



tivation in order that the trees may receive the full 

 benefit of the fertilizer applied. It does not receive 

 this benefit when hoeing alone is practiced. 



Modern machinery should be used. This is not only 

 because of the labor situation at present, but because 

 of the more efficient way in which cultivation can be 

 carried on. We refer now most particularly to the 

 use of a tractor in the orchard. It is more economical 

 than horse power and does more satisfactory work. 

 (See photograph of tractor at work, Plate VI, fig. 2.) 



FERTILIZATION 



Fertilizer should be applied in the orchard early in 

 the season, say January or February. The amount to 

 be applied should be governed by the size and age of 

 the trees. The quality of the soil should also be con- 

 sidered. Where legumes have been planted the pre- 

 vious season the amount of nitrogen should be consid- 

 erably reduced. For example, if a fertilizer contain- 

 ing three per cent, of nitrogen is applied in an orchard 

 where legumes have not been previously grown, the 

 per cent, of nitrogen can be reduced where legumes 

 have been grown the previous season to one per cent, 

 instead of three. 



The reason for the early application of fertilizer is 

 that the fertilizer material used should have time to be- 

 come available for assimilation by the time the tree be- 

 gins to grow in the spring. This is particularly impor- 

 tant in a bearing orchard as the trees will need consid- 

 erable plant food at the time of setting fruit. It must 

 be remembered that in order for the tree to have the 

 full benefit of the fertilizer applied, there must be hu- 

 mus present and in order to have this necessary factor 

 in the soil, legumes shovdd be planted as often as may 

 be necessary without getting an excess of nitrogen into 

 the ground. 



In years past when potash was obtainable at mod- 

 erate prices it was persistently advocated that from 

 eight to twelve per cent, of potash should be applied to 

 orange trees. The present shortage of this material 

 has proved that equally as good fruit and as 

 large crops can be grown with four to five per cent, as 

 formerly with from eight to twelve per cent. In fact, 

 during the last two years, potash has been reduced in 

 the fertilizer formulas used in orange groves to even 

 less than four per cent, but the quality of the fruit has 



