270 BOARD OF AGEICULTURE. 



MAINTENANCE OF SOIL FERTILITY. 



BY E. M. C. HOBBS, SALEM. 



At this hour, after the most thorough consideratiou of the apple from 

 the start to the finish, from the "cradle to the grave," it would seem 

 that all has been said, unless in keepiug with the year, and hour as well, 

 we should discuss the taste or appetite, and the control of the same in 

 a year like this, when many of us are most likely to go longing about 

 for a red apple, that will be a rare luxury with many of our people 

 this coming winter. But to fulfill the letter of the program, even if the 

 spirit of the meeting has gone after the red apple, or more correctly, 

 after dinner, I will review a few thoughts concerning the fertility of 

 the soil and how the fertility may be maintained. It seems to be an un- 

 disputed proposition that the orchard of fifty or sixty years ago boi'e well 

 and the trees gi-ew vigorously. Let other things be as they may the soil 

 was then all right— all sufficient for a good crop. Whether the soil Avas 

 loam, clay or sand; carboniferous, subcarboniferous or drift; low or high, 

 the testimony of our parents is one of harmony — that Rambo, the Bell- 

 flower, and Milum, etc., were loaded with fruit year after year. And, oh! 

 how luscious they were— and how well they kept! 



There are many orchards in our State bearing well today, but yet 

 others that seem from some cause to be making repeated failures. Vari- 

 ous causes may be assigned for these failiu-es. Among them we fre- 

 quently hear mentioned that the orchard has exhausted the soil— that 

 it is starving to death. Whether this be a principal cause or not it is 

 quite probable that the partial exhaustion of the soil of some of the ele- 

 ments is a factor in the makeup of these conditions. Granting this to 

 be true, then two questions arise: 



1. How to replenish the soil with the elements tliat have become 

 short? 



2. How to prevent the conditions from approaching in our growing 

 orchards? 



I think it quite true that the farmer, horticulturist, orchardist gets 

 the best results from his labors when he works in harmony with nature, 

 follows her ways and adapts his methods to her principles. 



As nature has made the soil, let us go and do likewise. As virgin soil 

 has been made rich and at the same time grown the forest, may we not 

 do likewise— grow our orchard and improve the land all the while? Yes, 

 and improve on nature in speed. 



In consideration of the elements in the soil that may be plentiful or 

 insufiicient, there are but about thirteen used by the plants in their 

 growth, all but two or three are found in all soils in abundance for all 



