142 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



distance considerably greater than that given, rather than have them stand 

 idle, the fact that it seems better adapted to other crops still leaves oppor- 

 tunity for the ufee of other materials as the main reliance for fruits. 



GREEN MANURING. 



Another common means of placing at the disposal of our crops a ready 

 supply of plant food is by plowing under a clover sod, or various green 

 crops. The plant food contained in one ton of clover can not be purchased 

 in the form of a commercial fertilizer for less than six or eight dollars, 

 and it will be only a fair estimate to consider that the value of the plant 

 food contained in the roots from an acre of clover will be of as much value 

 as that of the stems and leaves. The value of a crop of rye turned under 

 is much less than that of clover, and of course the roots are of still less 

 value. Clover, and the same is true of peas and beans, is not only of 

 greater value than rye and similar crops, because it contains a much larger 

 per cent, of the elements required for the growth of plants, but it has the 

 additional advantage of securing a portion of its nitrogen from the free 

 nitrogen of the air, through the action of bacteria that are found in the 

 nodules or tubercles on the roots, while with all other plants the nitrogen 

 as well as the potash and phosphoric acid is all taken by the roots from 

 the soil, which is then depleted to that extent. The rye, then, does not 

 add anything to the fertility of the soil, except that upon decomposing, on 

 being turned under, it adds to the soil a supply of plant food in a form 

 that can readily be taken up by the succeeding crop. It has undoubtedly 

 taken up some plant food that might otherwise have been washed out, and 

 has probably been of value in aiding in the solution of the mineral elements 

 of the soil. On light soils the plowing under of a green crop will add a 

 supply of much needed humus, and it will have an equally beneficial efPect 

 in lightening heavy soils. And as a preparation for an orchard or any 

 other fruit crop, nothing better can be desired than a thick clover sod. As 

 a crop for fall sowing in a peach orchard, rye not only has all the advant- 

 ages mentioned, but it is frequently of value in checking the late growth 

 of the trees and of promoting the proper ripening of the fruit buds. 



WOOD ASHES. 



Of the various manures for fruits, or in fact for almost any crop, none 

 should be more eagerly sought for than unleached hardwood ashes. As 

 will be seen from what has previously been said, ashes contain all of the 

 mineral elements found in the plants consumed in their production; and 

 moreover, most of it is in a soluble form and in such combinations that the 

 valuable portion can be readily taken up and assimilated by plants. 



(Jnleached wood ashes contain, as an average thing, at least three per 

 cent, of potash and one and one half to two per cent, of phosphoric acid, and 

 if dry and free from impurities are worth five dollars per ton as compared 

 with commercial fertilizers, the value in each case being computed upon 

 the actual price of standard fertilizers in the large cities. Leached ashes 

 are of but small comparative value for fruits. Wood ashes have all the 

 advantages of stable manure, except that they contain no nitrogen, and 

 possess to a superlative degree the good qualities of the mineral fertilizers. 

 In case it is found that a proper growth can not be secured from the use 



