The Canadian Horticulturist. 



'99 



about 4 % of nitrogen and 25 % of 

 phosphoric acid. 



A good fertihzer may be obtained 

 by mixing 500 lbs. of bone with 25 

 bushels of fresh ashes per acre. 



I\'. Bone ash, the ashes obtained 

 b) burning out all of the organic 

 matter. Little used in Ontario. 



V. Boiled or steamed bone, the 

 refuse bone from which most of the 

 organic matter has been boiled or 

 steamed for glue, this is more easily 

 ground and made into superphos- 

 phate than III. 



VI. Bone, char, animal, charcoal, 

 bone black, or bone charcoal, the 

 refuse charred bone after being used 

 for the refining of sugar. A sample 

 analyzed here gave 30% of phosphoric 

 acid. 



VII. Bone superphosphate or dis- 

 solved bone, made by treating bones 

 (especially V. or VI.) with sulphuric 

 acid — -1510 25 per cent, phosphoric 

 acid. 



VIII. Guano contains from loper 

 cent, to 30 per cent, phosphoric 



acid Buy this only from reliable 

 dcialcrs on guaranteed analysis. 



IX. Dried blood and scrap have 3 

 to 10 per cent. 



X. Apatite — Canadian, containing 

 about So per cent, of phosphoric of 

 lime, should have over 35 per cent. 



XI. A good superphosphate should 

 have about 25 per cent. 



XII. Marls: The presence of phos- 

 phoric acid greatly adds to their 

 value ; those we have examined have 

 never given much more than traces. 



XIII. Basic Slag, Thomas Slag, 

 Thomas Scoria, Phosphate Meal : 

 These are all names for the finely 

 ground slag from smelting iron con- 

 taining phosphorus. The phos- 

 phorus is removed by lime and the 

 slag therefore contains phosphate of 

 lime. It is being experimented with 

 in Europe, promises well, sells in 

 Eastern States at $15 per ton, and 

 is claimed to be the cheapest avail- 

 able form of phosphate. It contains 

 an excess of caustic lime. 



JTonx g 



ur 



An Apple Opchard as a Commercial 

 Enterprise. 



Thk following paptT mIiows the profit in the 

 ai)i)le culture in the Province of (2*'fbec, and if 

 profitable there, it must be still more so in our 

 more favored Province : 



" I think we must admit that ap|)le culture 

 is an industry belonging to the farm, and that 

 the bulk of the apples must be grown by the 

 fanner. 



" To the fanner who has land suitable for an 

 orchard, and who is desirous of entering intofiuit 

 culture, the question naturally arises, which is 

 most profitable, to grow ap)>les or cereals ''. He 

 may read the different horticultural reports of 

 the Provinces and States, and in almost all of 

 them he may find reports on fruit cidture by 

 different men, who assert that orcharding is 

 more jirotitable than growing grain. But as to 

 what |)er cent, it is more [jrofitable he is left to 

 draw his own conclusions. 



" You ask the farmer what is the net profit 

 on an acre of oats or barley, he answers, ' That 

 de|)ends a great deal on the season.' It varies 

 all tlie way from •?.') to 820, and sometimes 

 there is no profit. And so it is in all agricul- 



tural and horticultural jiursuits. It is impos- 

 sible to say what jiercentage an orchard will 

 yield, or what net profit an acre of oats or 

 barley will yield. The majority of farmers, 

 when they have realized .?12 to .?1.5 net ]>rofit on 

 an acre of oats or barley, feel (juite content. 



"Would the orchardist feel contented to 

 realize that amount jier acre, or in the same 

 ratio for the money invested ? I think not ! 



" Neither tht' horticulturist nor the farmer, 

 as a rule, keeps an accoimt-t)ook that would 

 enable him to give the amount of expenditure 

 and receipts of his orchard. Hence the reason 

 why it is we so seldoin see any figures or facts 

 that would enable us to come to a conclusion as 

 to the result of an ai)i)le orchard as a commercial 

 enteri>rise. 



" 1* or the benefit of those who are seeking 

 information, and wcnild like facts and figures 

 of the returns of an orchard 25 years old, I will 

 give the receipts for the last four years : - 



1884 2,871 Bushels .?1,1.S2.84 



1885 1,477 " 58.S.'.tO 



1886 1,4(J1 " 7oS.50 



1887 2,015 " 1,0(J2.05 



Total 7,824 Total. S^.n.^T^ 



