FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT. 38 



and 5 lbs. of acid phosphate; row 3, 3 lbs. of nitrate of soda and 5 lbs. 

 of acid phosphate and 13^2 lbs. of muriate of potash. Row 4 was the 

 check row and was unfertilized. This orchard was hit by a frost while 

 in blossom, and therefore the yield is not as hifj;h iit it should be. How- 

 ever, the value of tiie leitilizei- was \'erv clearly shown, for the ten trees 

 that were fertilized with nitrogen alone on row 1 yielded an average 

 of 143 2 lbs. per tree; row 2, fertilized with nitrogen and acid phosphate 

 averaged 19^2 lbs. per tree; on row 3, with all three fertilizing ingredients, 

 the average was 1 1 lbs. per tree. The check row averaged 8^2 lbs. of 

 cherries per tree. These results gave such a tremendous difference in 

 the favor of fertilizer that 10 other trees were selected in another part 

 of the orchard which had received no fertilizer, .nnd the difference of 

 7j^ lbs. of cherries in favor of those trees fertilized with 3 lbs, of nitrate 

 of soda and 5 lbs. of acid phosphate. From these results it will be 

 seen that ])oth the nitrogen and the acid phosphate seem to help the 

 yield of cherries, l)ut when a complete balanced fertilizer w^as applied 

 around the trees, they do not respond as they do when the potash is 

 omitted. This indicates that there is an abundance of potash in the 

 soil, but that nitrogen and phosphoric aid has both helped the yield 

 of cherry trees in this particular orchard. The soil of this orchard 

 is typically sandy loam on which most of our cherries are planted in 

 Benzie County and it had also been fertilized, and it appears from these 

 results that nitrogen and possibly acid phosphate are needed for efficient 

 cherry production. 



Carrying these results into dollars and cent figures we find that the 

 nitrogen and acid phosphate applied cost 17c per tree. With trees 

 planted 20x20 feet apart, there are 108 per acre making a total cost of 

 $18.36 for the fertilizer per acre. Allowing $3.00 for labor in application 

 of the material, the total cost is about $22.00 per acre for this fertilizer. 

 Multipl.ying 7}^ lbs. average gain per tree by 108 trees we have a gain 

 of 810 ll)s. of cherries. The cherries from this orchard were sold through 

 the cherry pool of the Benzie Countv Farm Bureau this year and netted 

 10c per lb.— that is they sold for $81.00. Subtract $22.00 the cost of 

 the fertilizer from this $81.00 per acre we have a net profit of $59.00 on 

 Montmorency cherry' trees under the conditions as we found them in 

 the Reynold's orchard. 



The results obtained on apple trees are even more striking than those 

 obtained from the cherries. The trees treated were twenty-six year old 

 Wealthy and Pewaukee trees. Where 5 lbs. of nitrate of soda was 

 applied, the average yield was 53^ bushels of apples. Where 5 lbs. 

 nitrate of soda and 10 lbs. of acid phosphate were applied 1034 bushels of 

 apples were obtained, and where 5 lbs. of nitrate of soda, 10 lbs. of acid 

 phosphate and 2 ll)s. of potash were applied 10 bushels of apples were 

 harvested per tree. On the check trees, to which no fertilizer had been 

 applied, an average of 33^ bushels of apples were obtained. This makes 

 a clear gain of 63^2 bushels of apples on the trees where nitrate of soda 

 and acid phosphate and the complete fertilizer were applied. Here 

 again we do not seem to have anj'- results from the potash, but do have 

 results from the nitrate of soda and acid phosphate. 



Figuring our apple gain, we find that the cost of nitrate of soda and 

 acid phosphate to be 31c per tree. The trees were planted 40x40 feet 

 apart, 27 trees to the acre, making the total cost of the fertilizing ma- 



