540 EXPERIMENT STATION RECOED. [Vol. 35 



authors point out, however, that field peas may be grown in the spring for 

 green manure as well as for forage or for grain. Crimson clover reaches the 

 proper size for use as green manure too late in the spring to be of very great 

 value. Of the newer vetches — woolly-podded, bitter, and purple — the first two 

 are promising but do not appear to be much more hardy than spring vetch. 

 Spring vetch succeeds well in ordinary years and, unlike hairy vetch, the seed 

 is cheap and easily obtained, hence it will of necessity be most generally used. 

 Results from experiments on cultural methods, cover crops, and fertiliza- 

 tion in apple orchards, J. P. Stewaet {Pennsylvania Sta. Rpt. 1914, pp. 4^3- 

 ^38). — In continuation of a previous report on this subject (E. S. R., 34, p. 148) 

 the author reviews some of the more practical results secured from certain 

 of the orchard fertilizer experiments. The principal results from the other 

 orchard experiments of the station are appended in tabular form. 



The results secured from cultural methods in the younger orchards are, 

 in general, not materially different from those previously given. Some of the 

 recent results in the more mature orchards, however, conflict with previous 

 results, the tillage and cover crop plats giving the best yield in some cases 

 and mulched trees the best yield in other cases. In the latter cases definite 

 amounts of plant food have also been added to both the cultural plats and 

 the mulched plats. Tree growth has continued to be decidedly greater through- 

 out the experiment for the tillage and cover crop treatment. 



Observations on the experiments as a whole appear to demonstrate the feasi- 

 bility of obtaining practically annual crops from such supposedly refractory 

 biennial bearers as the Baldwin, York Imperial, Spy, and Tompkins King, 

 provided the conditions are made right. The results also indicate that annual 

 tillage should be done with double-action disks or cutaways or their equivalent 

 in preference to regular plows, wherever the soil conditions will permit. 



In one experiment, here noted, the influence of fertilization surpassed that of 

 cultural methods as regards yield. The application of nitrogen with phosphate 

 to sod or of manure to sod gave strikingly greater yields than sod mulch or till- 

 age and cover crop methods of culture. Phosphate with potash applied to sod 

 gave a material gain over sod alone but was less effective in influencing the 

 yield than sod mulch or tillage and cover crop. 



From the results secured in this work to date a general fertilizer formula 

 carrying about 30 lbs. of actual nitrogen, 50 lbs. of actual phosphoric acid, 

 and from 25 to 50 lbs. of actual potash, applied at the rate of 500 lbs. per acre 

 to bearing trees, is recommended. Attention is called, however, to the need of 

 adjusting the fertilizer to individual orchards. 



Intercrops for apple orchards, J. P. Stewart (Pennsylvania Sta. Rpt. 1914, 

 pp. 439-445). — In this paper the author calls attention to the value of inter- 

 crops in reducing the cost of young orchards and gives concise directions for 

 growing the various intercrops in the orchards. 



The influence of nitrogen upon the vigor and production of devitalized 

 apple trees, C. I. Lewis and R. W. Allen (Oregon Sta., Rpt. Hood River Sta., 

 1915, pp. 5-19, pi. 1, figs. 4). — Further results are given of some of the station's 

 orchard fertilizer experiments in which the ingredients are being applied 

 both in the dry form and in solution (E. S. R., 35, p. 235). 



The present report deals specifically with the effects of nitrogen, which 

 is the only element that has given results. In the previous year's work 

 beneficial results were secured by spraying trees with ;i solution of nitrate 

 of soda and caustic soda, thus confirming the results reported by Ballard 

 and Volck (E. S. R., 30, p. 640). Subsequent experiments, however, lead the 

 authors to conclude that the real reason why better results were secured 

 from spraying nitrate of soda than applying it in the dry form was due to the 



