32 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Another experinu'iit was in j\Ir. Ballard's orchard, at Niles, where the 

 inner space is filled with alfalfa. Can see very little progress as yet. 



Referring to our dewberry experiments. Near Riverside, we have an 

 expiM-inicnt using sulphate of ammonia with acid phosphate. The vines 

 in i<^si)ons(> to this treatment grew from six to twelve feet long and very 

 thick. The foliage was exceptionally large and green. We have very 

 good prospects for another year. There was a plat that received no 

 treatment and the vines in this instance grew from two to five feet long 

 and the yield was about half as great. The vines were fourteen years 

 old and were on a sandy soil where the food elements had been exhausted. 

 They are using nitrogenous material to very good advantage; also acid 

 phosphate. 



We used these materials on grapes. The first year the material was 

 received too lat(> for us to get any benefit. Last 3'car there was not 

 enough soil moisture^ in the ground to dissolve the chemicals to a working 

 point but later on the vines were able to take advantage of the applica- 

 tions. The response has been rather discouraging this year, but the 

 vines are in good condition, for another j^ear. One set of the plats re- 

 ceived a cover crop as a part of the fertilizing phenomena. 



We applied it to other crops, but some of the work had to be abandoned 

 on account of the farmer being unable to use his tractor, but the results 

 on fruit that I have seen are reliable cases. 



RESULTS OF ORCHARD FERTILIZATION DEMONSTRATIONS 



OF THE HORTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT 



IN BENZIE COUNTY. 



.1. L. KRAKER, COUNTY AGENT, BEULAH. 



In Ma}', 1920, arrangements were made for the demonstrations of the 

 use of fertilizers in Benzie Count}', tests being outlined on cherries on 

 the farm of Ward Re\molds, near Benzonia; apples on the farm of W. 

 R. Thomas, Crystal Lake township; peaches on the farm of A. J. Rogers, 

 Lake township. In April, 192.1, the same trees which had received 

 fertilizer in 1920 were again fertilized, and additional tests started on 

 pears on the farm of Wallace Putney, Blaine township, and on blackberries 

 on the farm of H. L. Keller, Gilmore township. In addition to these 

 controlled tests, several farmers of the county purchased small amounts 

 of ammonium sulphate for testing out on their own farms around fruit 

 trees. The writer has not talked with one of these men but who is 

 entirely satisfied with the use of fertilizer on trees — they all expect to 

 use more next year and there are many of their neighbors who have 

 already spoken for ammonium sulphate to be used on fruit trees in 1922. 

 In this connection it is to be noted that the results given below are 

 merely indicative of what may be expected from the use of fertilizer, 

 and we expect to continue this work in co-operation with the Horti- 

 rultural Department of the Michigan Agricultural College for several 

 years, and applications will again be put on these trees in 1922. 



The block of cherry trees fertilized is situated in Benzonia, west of 

 Spence's blacksmith shop. This is a uniform block of Montmorencj'' 

 cherry trees seven years old. Ten trees wei'e fertilizetl in each of three 

 rows, leaving another row along side without fertilizer as a check. Row 

 No, 1 had 3 lbs. of nitrate of soda per tree; row 2, 3 lbs. nitrate of soda 



