FORTIETH ANNUAL REPORT. 185 



and stable manure very largely, I have applied eight and ten tons of 

 stable fertilizer and 1,000 pounds of commercial fertilizer to the acre for 

 several years. I have seen splendid results from commercial fertilizers. 

 The problem is not so simple with you perhaps as it is with us. I do 

 not understand just why, but I judge that this is so from the discussions 

 tJiat have taken place. But you will see how I recognize, and why I 

 recognize the value of fertilizers. Those trees to which Mr. Hale re- 

 ferred in the first place had leaves that were six, eight and ten inches 

 long instead of four or five inches long and about one inch in width. 

 I knew that was impossible without nitrogen. When I went up and 

 saw that fruit I did not find a greenish, sappy, imperfect fruit that 

 would come from over-nitrogenous fertilizers. I found a large well 

 colored fruit. That meant phosphoric acid and potash and I, was just 

 as sure as I could be. I remember the occurrence very well and I was 

 glad to have him bring that out. Anyone could have seen that, who 

 knew the effect of potash and phosphoric acid. 



I was also interested in what Mr. Rose had to say about the distances 

 apart that he planted his peach trees and also the putting of heavy appli- 

 catons of manure on his peach trees. I planted my trees 12x16. They 

 were intended to be 24x16. I cut out the 12 foot fillers too soon, and 

 then had them 16x24. I discovered they were too thick so I planted 

 my next block 18x24. In four years, these trees covered the space and 

 that in spite of heavy pruning. 18x24 feet will answer for five or seven 

 years, but they get to be too thick after that. The next time I plant 

 out an orchard I will set the trees 16x24 with the 16 ft. trees for fillers. 



My seven year olds are closing the 24 ft. space. That is what can 

 be done with fertilizers. We had Elberta peaches this year that looked 

 like apples, I never sold any of them for less than |1.25 per crate and 

 from that to |1.50, |1.75 and |2.00. They were sprayed with self-boiled 

 lime sulphur as well, and right here I want to say that you must ferti- 

 lize your peach orchards if you want them to grow large. Push the 

 (orchards on land that has been in orchard and it does very much better 

 if possible to give it a three years' rest. I am rather inclined to plant 

 corn as a part of the scheme, but it is wrong to keep up cultivation and 

 depleting the land of humus. Haul out some stable manure if possible. 

 AAiien you plant an orchard just let me give j'ou a trick. Never manure 

 the little tree on a very poor piece of land. Dig the holes, fill the holes 

 up with manure and make a little mound. Let that get rotted before 

 you plant the tree next spring. When you plant the tree in the spring, 

 dig out the manure, fill in with the ground that has been manured 

 and place rough manure on top the ground, but not in the hills. The 

 next thing is to haul to the young orchard just after it is planted out 

 stable manure and put one or two shovels full around the trees to be 

 cultivated in later in the season. Stable manure will give a young 

 orchard on old peach land a boost that nothing else will do. There are 

 two or three reasons for this. It is a cure, almost, from- the tree stand- 

 point for the Black Rot. Then it will stimulate the root growth so that 

 it will outgrow the root fungi. 



In this connection, I wish to oflfer just a word of caution. I am advo- 

 cating now the driving of your peach orchards at high speed, manuring, 

 fertilizing and getting your old land full of humus. But you must be 

 careful to stop this within a reasonable time. It will not do to carry 



