422 



REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



years. A complete fertilizer proved the most valuable and barnyard 

 manure proved more effective from the standpoint of yield than did 

 a complete commercial fertilizer. The manure, however, was applied 

 at the rate of 10 loads per acre, which cost $30. The commercial 

 fertilizers consisting of 150 pounds nitrate of soda, 350 pounds super- 

 phosphate, and 150 pounds muriate of potash, cost but $10.72 per 

 acre, makinjj; the average cost of a basket of fruit but 4.4 cents, while 

 where the barnyard manure was used the average cost was 11.6 cents 

 per basket. From the standpoint of profit the commercial fertilizers 

 were most effective. 



At the New York State Station " an investigation was made to de- 

 termine the amount of plant food used during one growing season 

 by the fruit, leaves, and new growth of branches of the tlu-ee* varie- 

 ties. Champion, Elberta, and Hills Chili. The trees were 7 to 9 

 years old and in full vigor of bearing. In this experiment the Cham- 

 pion tree produced 123.4 pounds of fruit pulp, 6.4 pounds stones, 

 46.3 pounds leaves, and 13.9 pounds of new wood. The Elberta 

 tree produced 190.5 pounds of pulp, 15.4 pounds stones, 38.3 pounds 

 leaves, and 5.5 pounds new wood. The Hills Chili produced 171.3 

 pounds pulp, 8 pounds stones, 52.7 pounds leaves, and 19 pounds 

 wood. The following table show^s the total weight of material pro- 

 duced and the amount of the more important food constituents 

 removed from the soil: 



riant food removed by hearing peach trees. 



Based on the results secured in this work it is calculated that a 

 bearing peach tree uses on the average the following a])proximate 

 amoimts of plant food constituents during the growing season: 

 Nitrogen, 0.62 pound; ])lios])horic acid, 0.15 pound; potash, 0.6 

 pound; lime, 0.95 pound; magnesia, 0.3 pound. Estimating 120 

 trees to the acre, a peach orchard in full bearing woidd use 74.5 

 pounds of nitrogen, IS pounds phosphoric acid, 72 pounds potash, 1 14 

 pounds lime, and 35 ])ounds magnesia yearly. In these investiga- 

 tions it was found that ])each trees used larger amounts of plant 

 food than any of the other decitluous fruits. 



Earlier investigations at this station showed that nursery peach 

 stock is not as oxiinusting on the soil as many farm crops.'' 



a New York Stato Sla. I?ul. 2(55. 



h X«nv York State Sta. Rpt. 1902. p. 173. 



