440 



ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



Off. Doc. 



hels. Surely it is not necessary to furtlier defend the proposition 

 that proper fertilization may very profoundly affect the yield of 

 apples. 



There is no reasonable possibility of these results being due to 

 any other agent than the fertilizers. The trees are all of the same 

 variety and same age. They receive the same spraying, pruning, soil 

 handling and other care. The soil is practically level and very uni- 

 form. The treatments are abundantly checked. In fruit, foliage, 

 growth and general health of trees, the benefits stop abruptly where 

 the fertilizers stop, and similar results are being obtained by the 

 owner in other parts of the orchard, on the same and other varieties, 

 with the combinations of fertilizers found etTective in the experi- 

 ment. 



In regard to the relative values of the different fertilizer elements, 

 it will be seen in Table II, that nitrogen is evidently the first limiter. 

 Thus, the phosphate and potash combination in Plot 5 has given an 

 increase of 123 bushels per acre, while by the addition of nitrogen to 

 this combination, in the adjacent Plot 0, we get an increase of 48G 

 bushels. In other words, the addition of nitrogen to the treatment 

 ordinarily advised for orchards, resulted here in nearly quadrupling 

 the benefit. In Plot 8, where the phosphates are omitted, it will 

 also be noted that there is an annual deficit which amounts to nearly 

 80 bushels i)er acre. This doubtless indicates that phosphorus is 

 the second limiter and that the yield in Plot 3 is being reduced by 

 lack of this element. Potash applications, on the other hand, have 

 been of practically no avail in this experiment. This may be seen 

 by comparing Plots 2 and G. The annual addition of 150 H). of 

 actual K„0 in the latter treatment has resulted in a gain of only 

 3.7 bushels of apples. 



The above re^sults were obtained without any aid from tillage or 

 cover-crops, the fertilizers being merely sowed over the surface of 

 unfilled soil, on which there was a light sod composed chiefly of 

 mixed grasses. Here the question may be raised as to whether equal 

 or superior benefits may not have been obtainable with some form 

 of cultural methods. This question is answered in Table IV. 



TABLE IV. CULTURAL METHODS AND FERTILIZERS ON YIELDS 



(Johnston Orclmrd.) 



Plot Treatment 



XIII 



Sod 



XII 

 Sod Mulch 



XI 



Tillage & 



Cover Crop 



CAv. 2&6) 



N-P-Pertl- 



lizer 



1908, 

 1909, 

 1910, 

 1911. 



ft. 



1170 



17082 



2940 



3550 



lb. 



2265 



7455 



16789 



2629 



ft). 



2843 

 10702 

 17254 



7500 



ft. 



2813 



27649 



11752 



34502 



Totals last 3 yr., 



Ratios, 

 Ratios, 

 Ratios, 



Av. 

 Av. 



An. Yield per A., 

 Gain per A 



3 JT. 



24472 



26873 



35456 



100. 



109.8 

 100 



144.8 

 131.9 

 100. 



223.7 bu. 



245.7 bu. 

 22. bu. 



324.1 bu. 

 100. bu. 



73903 



302. 

 275. 

 208.4 



ff75.7bu. 

 452. bu. 



