260 Missouri State Horticulticral Society. 



Blackberries that are reasonably free from rust are bearing a full 

 crop ; this is once more they did not get killed by the severe winter, 

 when peaches did. 



Plums are promising from one-third to one-half of a crop, the 

 Lombard being in the lead. 



Grapes are looking fine and promise a paying crop. 



The wood growth of the peach is very good, after so hard a 

 winter that killed some trees, root and brancli. 



Taking it all into consideration, from low j^'ices for small 

 fruits already disposed of, the jDoor apple crop, with no peaches, the 

 horticulturist may justly wish for better times in the near future. 



HOW SHALL THE HORTICULTURALIST MAINTAIN 

 THE FERTILITY OF THE SOIL. 



[read before the MISSOURI VALLEY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



MARCH MEETING, 1884.] 



The earth, in its virgin state, before being tickled by man with 

 the plow and hoe, contains all the elements necessary for the proper 

 growth and perfection of grain, fruits and grasses for the susten- 

 ance of man and beast. Plant food is comjDosed of twelve elements. 

 Four of these elements are gases, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and 

 nitrogen. When a plant or animal is burned the gases are driven 

 off. The ashes which remain are composed of potash, soda, lime 

 and magnesia, sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid, chlorine and silica. 

 In other words the food of plants is composed of four organic or 

 gaseous elements and eight inorganic or mineral elements, of which 

 four have acid and four have alkaline properties. All agricultural 

 ph.nts and all animals, man included, are composed of these twelve 

 elements. All soils on which plants grow contain more or less 

 plant food. A plant cannot create an atom of potash. It cannot 

 get it from the atmosphere. We find potash in the plant and we 

 know it got it from the soil, and we are certain, therefore, that the 

 soil contains potash, and so of all the other elements of plants. 



When our new lands are first broken they are rich in this plant 

 food, hence we see the rapid growth and large yield of croj^s. After 

 a few years of slip shod cultivation, our crops of grain and fruits 

 become smaller, and we hear the complaint that the land is worn 



