126 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



I don't know of any experiments that have been tried to determine it. 

 It is only a: theory at best but I would not be at all surprised if it were 

 true. I think it is true that if you have plenty of potash in celery soil, 

 you will get a crister article than where you do not have it in very large 

 amount. 



A Member — I once tried this experiment on peach trees, putting it on 

 alternate rows, using eight or ten pounds of potash to each tree — 

 muriate of potash — putting this around the trees, then I skipped two 

 rows. But from all that I could see it made no difference in the color- 

 ing. But the use of some kind of fertilizers for different crops, I have 

 seen what appeared to be a marked improvement in the crop of a tree 

 and the appearance of the fruit. I have experimented with ground sheep 

 manure and it has been satisfactory. 



Prof. Patten — I don't believe that any fertilizer will make any differ- 

 ence with the color of the fruit. Sunshine is what colors fruit and if you 

 don't have the sunshine, you won't get color. I think it is true that the 

 yellow is a soil trouble as you know, and by proper fertilization I am 

 of the opinion that it can be overcome. 



A Member — Do you really think that this is so? 



Prof. Patten — Yes, that is my belief. And I am also of the opinion 

 that apple trees such as take several years to come to maturity, we can 

 get quicker returns when fertilizers are used than when they are not. 

 We can not expect to see the results on these slower maturing plants 

 the same way as on a crop that will come to maturity in one season. 



Prof. Green — I recall taking a Baldwin tree and making an applica- 

 tion of commercial fertilizer, and that tree bore six barrels of apples 

 and the next year the same. One of my neighbors did the same thing. 

 Now it seems to me that this is a good thing. Ordinarily our orchards 

 will bear a good crop this year but the next year it will be poor one, 

 so if we can demonstrate that we can feed our trees so that they will 

 bear alike every year, we have done a good thing. 



PEARS FOR PROFIT. 



GEO. E. CHATFIELD, SOUTH HAVEN. 



Pears for profit or pears not at all. This statement in general will 

 apply to all kinds of fruit growing as well as to all classes of industry. 

 There must be a profit in a business or it will drive the operator to 

 bankruptcy. And if there is not a profit there is something wrong 

 somewhere. Either the person is not adapted to his business or the 

 drawbacks are too serious to cope with. First of all a man should be 

 happy and enjoy the work he is doing, find pleasure in meeting its re- 

 quirements and overcome the difficulties. 



Profit as a rule means success and success in anything is the over- 

 coming of the obstacles which stand in the way of a perfectly straight 

 and smooth road to the desired object. 



One must have sufficient faith in the venture to start with that he 

 will select a good site or give it its proper place on the farm. 



