26 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



fruit to warrant further expense. The yields for 1920 were neghgible. 

 There were no apparent differences between plots in any respect during 

 that season, except in the grass growths which was better in the plots 

 receiving nitrogen. 



Unfortunately, a plot with a combination of nitrogen and acid phos- 

 phate (a combination that has frequently proven the most profitable 

 in orchards of other sections) was not included in the original project. 

 Realizing the need for testing such a combination, these materials were 

 applied to the balance of the orchard in the spring of 1921 at the rate 

 of 4 lbs. of sulphate and 10 lbs. of acid phosphate per tree. 



The other plots received the same treatment in 1921 as in 1920, except 

 the fertilizers were applied about a week before blossoming. Since an 

 earlier attempt had not been made to prune the trees, a very light prun- 

 ing was given them shortly after the blossoms fell. This pruning con- 

 sisted in the removal of dead, broken and much weakened branches 

 and twigs and a verj' light thinning of some of the smaller branches about 

 outer parts of the trees. 



The orchard was dusted four times, the duster being driven crosswise 

 of the plots. 



Before launching into a discussion of the results perhaps we should 

 make a study of moisture conditions. Residents of Eaton Rapids and 

 vicinity complained throughout the past season of the low amount of 

 precipitation for that immediate section compared with the rainfall for 

 adjacent sections. It was an exceedingly dry period during the earlier 

 part of the summer and crops suffered considerabl3^ Unfortunately for 

 our purposes, the closest weather bureau station is at Charlotte, about 

 ten miles distant. The rainfall at Charlotte is thought to have been 

 heavier than at Eaton Rapids. For comparison the rainfall at East 

 Lansing, where there was plenty of moisture except for late spring or 

 very earlj'' summer, and Charlotte are given for five months: 



The big differences occur for June, July and August, but the rainfall 

 for both stations was very low for May, thus giving Charlotte four dry 

 months. Charlotte had five inches less rainfall than East Lansing during 

 the five months. It is thus evident that Eaton Rapids had a low rain- 

 fall for the growing season. 



Mr. T. A. Farrand reports no noticeable differences in the number of 

 blossoms produced b}' trees of the several tree plots. The trees blos- 

 somed heavily but the late frost considerably reduced the set of fruit for 

 the orchard as a whole. 



In making observations during the early portion of the season, it 

 appeared that all plots receiving fertilizer had set heavier crops than 

 the check, but there were not apparent differences between the fertilizer 

 plots. However, in checking up the yield results at the end of the season, 

 there appeared to be three distinct percentages of set, although an actual 

 count of apples borne by the trees was not made. Plots receiving nitro- 



