19 19 



BETTER FRUIT 



Page 15 



applications were made in early spring 

 just as the plant was starting growth, 

 and later applications were made just 

 as the blossoms were opening. When 

 nitrate was used alone, a total of 220 

 or 440 pounds per ten thousand plants 

 formed a basis of the applications. 

 These amounts were either applied at 

 one time or equally divided, one-half 

 being put on in early spring and the 

 remainder when blossoms appeared. 

 Thus, as will be seen by the chart, we 

 are able to compare results on the basis 

 of time applied and amounts used. Plat 

 6, in both tests, was left unfertilized 

 and will hereafter be referred to as the 

 Check. Nitrate, when combined with 

 superphosphate or sulphate of potash, 

 was used at the rate of 220 pounds per 

 ten thousand plants, while superphos- 

 phate or sulphate of potash, whether 

 used alone or in combination, were 

 used at the rate of 470 and 125 pounds 

 respectively. As will be noted from 

 the chart, all combinations possible for 

 these fertilizers were made. All fer- 

 tilized plats other than those in which 

 nitrate was used, received one appli- 

 cation in early spring and none at blos- 

 som time. These tests represent three 

 successive annual applications. 



These tests were based on applica- 

 tions before the harvest season, since 

 it is the common conception that de- 

 mands for available fertility are great- 

 est at that time. Professor S. W. 

 Fletcher of the Pennsylvania State 

 College, in his text-book on "Straw- 

 berry Growing," is quoted as follows: 

 "Although the amount of plant food 

 actually removed by the strawberry 

 plant is small, the crop responds to 

 liberal fertilizing. This is partly be- 

 cause it has a high money value an 

 acre — prospective, at least, — but chiefly 

 because of the very short time between 

 the blossom and the ripe fruit. In the 

 North, the plants have only about four 

 weeks in which to develop a crop that 

 may weigh three or four times more 

 than the plants. The apple has several 

 months in which to mature its fruit, a 

 large crop of which is not nearly equal 

 to the weight of the trees. Hence, the 

 main fertilizer requirement of the 

 strawberry is that the plant food shall 

 be immediately available." Further- 

 more, owing to the very open structure 

 of the soil on which these experimental 

 plants were growing and the extreme 

 solubility of nitrate it was feared that 

 a considerable portion of that applied 

 in early Spring might be leached away 

 before it was fully utilized by the plant, 

 hence on some plats two equal appli- 

 cations of the total amount indicated 

 were made. 



Yield.— As will be noted, yields for 

 1916 on an average far surpass those of 

 either 1917 or 1918. The great differ- 

 ences in yields shown were due prob- 

 ably more to seasonal changes than to 

 age of plant. The winter of 1915-1916 

 was quite favorable. Snow covered the 

 plants throughout the dormant season 

 when low temperatures prevailed. The 

 picking season of 1916, although un- 

 favorable for harvesting on account of 

 the excessive rainfall, was nevertheless 

 long and comparatively cool, allowing 

 the fruit to ripen slowly and uniformly. 



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On the other hand, the winter.s of 1917 

 and 1918 were not .so favorahle, since 

 during considerahle portions of the 

 dormant season, snow, nature's mulch, 

 was absent and the phmts were sub- 

 jected to heaving and thawing together 



with drying winds. Frost injury during 

 the blossoming seasons was also a con- 

 tributing factor. Furthermore, the har- 

 vesting seasons of 1917 and 1918 were 

 short and hot, resulting in rapid ripen- 

 ing and decreased yields. 



