Kll'TY-FlUSr ANNIAI. ICKIM U{'l\ B» 



season's work and with but few instances where records were obtained 

 from observation the results were so marked that it showed the great 

 possibilities for increasing the yield and size of the fruits both in orchards 

 in grass mulched and those under cultivation and practically all kinds 

 of fruits. 



Up to the present time I feel safe in recommending the use of nitrates 

 on a large per cent of the orchards in Michigan, especially those mulched 

 and in sod and especially in the cultivated orchai'd on the cover crop to 

 increase the growth as well as to feed the trees. 



I would hesitate to make general recommendations on the use of 

 Phosphorus and Potash until we have more data and the use of those 

 fertilizers have shown more marked results than up to the present time. 

 The results from the use of nitrates does not always show the first year 

 but usually does the second season. Observations show marked results 

 on all types of soils from the light sand to heavy clay loam. 



The hundreds of demonstrations and the results from definite experi- 

 menst would indicate that nitrates and possibly phosphate and potash 

 will come into general use on all kinds of fruit as the most economic 

 method of feeding the trees. 



DECEMBER 7, 1921. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



ORCHARD MANAGEMENT AT MOUNTAIN GROVE 



FRUIT FARM. 



PERRY C. GRIGGS, ROMEO, MICH. 



Mount View Orchards consist of 185 acres of apple trees with peach 

 tree fillers, the apple trees being 36 ft. apart, leaving the peach trees 18 ft. 

 apart. 



The essential item in choice of an orchard site, is land adapted to 

 fruit growing. I believe we have an ideal location in that we have per- 

 fect air and water drainage, the highest point in our orchard being only 

 a few rods from the center, the ground sloping in every direction from 

 that point. 



Our soil for the most part, is heavy clay loam, while the trees may 

 not grow as rapidly as in lighter soil, they are more hardy and last longer. 

 We intercropped and practiced clean cultivation the first two years. 

 After that, we used tractors and disc harrows and still cultivate clean 

 with the exception of a space about 5 ft. square around each tree. This 

 cultivation is started early in the spring as possible and continued until 

 about the middle of July, depending on weather conditions as an}- time 

 after July 1st, when moisture condition is ideal we broadcast the entire 

 orchard to buckwheat, but allowed to stay on all winter as a cover crop 

 and disced in the ground the following spring. 



Our orchards have been fertilized with ammonium sulphate for the 

 past two years. We apply it to the surface of the ground early in the 

 spring at the rate of 12 ounces per tree, which amount will be increased 

 as the trees grow older, the trees now being five and six years old. We 

 used a team and six men, in fertilizing the orchards, each man having 

 a 12 quart pail and tin cup holding amount applied to each tree. The 



