16 



enough to hold the snows. Rape can scarcely be recommended for 

 fruiting apple orchards, as it remains wet the greater part of the day, 

 making the work of harvesting very unpleasant. It may be used to 

 good advantage in the rotation, especially if few fruits are to be har- 

 vested. 



Rye, the favorite crop of many growers, gives a fair amount of top 

 and winters well. One advantage of rye is that it may often be grown 

 on lands not in a physical condition for the growth of clover. In this 

 ,' be added to the soil, and conditions made more favor- 

 able for the growth of clover. 



Maintaining Fertility. 



The maintenance of fertility is more frequently neglected in the or- 

 chard than on any other part of the farm. Trees, even on poor land, 

 will produce fruit, but it is only on soils where fertility is maintained 

 that paying crops are produced. Each year that fruit is harvested some 

 plant food is removed. If profitable crops are to be expected the supply of 

 plant food in the soil must be maintained. 



The most essential elements for the production of fruit are nitrogen, 

 potash, phosphoric acid, and lime. Nitrogen encourages leaf and wood 

 growth, which are essential to the development of the tree and to the 

 production of the best quality of fruit. Potash is an essential constitu- 

 ent in the growth of fruits. *It constitutes a large proportion of the ash 

 of the wood and more than 50 per cent, of the ash of the fruit, and is 

 also associated with the development of flavor in the fruit. Phosphoric 

 acid is essential to the development of the tree and the proper ripening 

 of the fruit. Lime is not in itself an essential element, but assists in 

 liberating plant food. On a soil deficient in lime, growth often con- 

 tinues so late that the wood does not ir.aturc nor the fruit ripen pro- 

 perly. 



Barnyard manure supplies nitrogen, potash, and phosphoric acid, 

 and improves the physical condition of the soil. Cover crops may take 

 the place of barnyard manure to improve the physical condition of the 

 soil, and the leguminous ones may add all the nitrogen required. Con- 

 centrated fertilizers or commercial plant foods may be used in conjunc- 

 tion with cover crops to supply all the plant food necessary for the growth 

 of trees. In the use of commercial fertilizers it is well to proceed cau- 

 tiously, and, by carefully conducted experiments, ascertain what elements 

 of plant food the soil may be deficient in, and what amounts it may be 

 necessary to apply to get the best results. Unleached wood ashes contain 

 a small quantity of phosphoric acid, seldom exceeding li per cent, a 

 larger amount of potash, varying from 5 to 7 per cent., and also a certain 

 amount of lime. Where pure wood ashes can be procured at a price 

 not exceeding ten cents per bushel, they afford an economical source of 



