Page 20 



BETTER FRUIT 



November, 19.^1 



there are several others than those men- 

 tioned and probably just as essential, but the 

 soil, in general, is well supplied with theiB 

 so we will interest ourselves only with those 

 that are liable to be lacking. 



The analysis of soil in the Bitter Root 

 valley shows a wide range in the per cent 

 of plant foods present, so much so, that 

 one orchardist living on the east side of the 

 river would not be justified in applying 

 lime to his soil because some neighbor of 

 his on the west side had been benfited by 

 its use. Neither would an orchardist liv- 

 ing on either side of the river be entirely 

 justified in increasing the nitrogen and 

 phosphorus content of his soil simply be- 

 cause his neighbor's orchard had been ben- 

 fited by the application of these fertilizers. 



THE chances are, however, that if one 

 orchard is benefited by a certain treat- 

 ment that some other orchards in the same 

 vicinity should be benefited by a like treat- 

 ment and is worthy of trial. The experi- 

 ment should not, however, involve any con- 

 siderable expense, but rather carried on a 

 small scale until definite results are ob- 

 tained. The logical thing for all orchardists 

 is to determine by chemical analysis and 

 fertilizer experiments the feeding power 

 of their soils. The experiment station will 

 gladly co-operate with the fruit growers 

 by analyzing their soils and advise the 

 proper fertilizer to use. From this point 

 on the orchardist, by the aid of the county 

 agents, should be able to apply the remedies 

 recommended by the station and note the 

 results obtained. 



Mention has already been made of a lack 

 of nitrogen, phosphorus or lime in some of 

 our Montana soils. The Bitter Root valley, 

 while blessed with a delightful climate and 

 some of the most fertile soil in the state, 

 is no exception, for here we find some soil, 

 the fertility of which can be greatly im- 

 proved by the application of fertilizers. 

 The fertilizer most needed is nitrogen and 

 fortunately, this can be supplied by growing 

 leguminous crops and plowing them under. 

 The one danger encountered by this method 

 is the attempt to grow two crops on land 

 that can ill afford to produce one and as the 

 legumes are harder nitrogen feeders than 

 fruit trees, no beneficial results can be 

 looked for until one or more crops have 

 been plowed under and the organic matter 

 humified. 



It might be well in the case of bearing 

 fruit trees to use some nitrogenous fertilizer 

 when growing the first and even the second 

 crop of legumes and especially so if grow- 

 ing clover or alfalfa. When peas are to 

 be used to increase the nitrogen in the soil, 

 they can be sowed late in the spring so that 

 the trees can do most of their feeding be- 

 fore the peas begin to take up much plant 

 food from the soil. Barnyard manure is 

 also a means of supplying nitrogen and 

 should be applied to orchards when possible: 



There are a few locations in the Bitter 

 Root valley where the soils should be im- 



proved by the application of lime. The 

 only way to supply this element is by add- 

 ing ground limestone upon the degree of 

 acidity of the soil. Unfortunately, there 

 is no chemical means of determining the 

 exact degree of acidity of a soil or the 

 exact amount of lime to add to obtain maxi- 

 mum results. When a soil is known to be 

 acid, it is always best to determine the 

 amount to add by experimenting with vary- 

 ing amounts to see which gives the best 

 results. 



Phosphorus, another element which is 

 possibly lacking in some of the soils of the 

 Bitter Root valley, may be added in the 

 form of ground phosphate rock or the su- 

 perphosphate. Where quick results are 

 desirable, it is readily taken up by the trees 

 or plant. 



The phosphorus in the ground phosphate 



rock is slightly soluble and its availability is 

 therefore brought about largely through 

 bacterial action in the soil. This form 

 should prove most beneficial to young or- 

 cards where the growth of the trees alone 

 is to be considered. Bearing trees, suffering 

 from the lack of phosphorus, should have 

 the phosphorus added in a form more read- 

 ily available. For experimental purposes, 

 the superphosphate should be added at the 

 rate of from 400 to 800 pounds per acre. 

 In conclusion, permit me to say that some, 

 probably not all of the orchardists of the 

 Bitter Root valley, will have to use more 

 care in maintaining the fertility of their 

 soils, that the use of fertilizers must be 

 encouraged and that the general trend 

 should be a building up of soil fertility 

 rather than a rapid depletion like that prac- 

 ticed at one time by clean cultivation. 



The inestimable value of spraying has again 

 been demonstrated this year While some local- 

 ities report smaller crops of fruits and vegetables 

 than usual, the quality has invariably been far 

 above the average thus balancing the shortage 

 in production. 



This indicates that whether the yield be an abundant or 

 small one there is always a ready sale for choice fruits — and 

 choice fruits can no longer be grown without resorting to 

 the protection afforded through spraying 



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