202 



The Canadian Horticulturist. 



HOW THE APPLE TREE GROWS.— I. 



HE " Life History of an Apple Tree," was the 

 subject of a very interesting address recently 

 given before the Fruit Growers' Association of 

 N. S. by Prof. Wm. Saunders. He first showed its 

 development from the seed, viewed from the 

 standpoint of a botanist. He spoke of the soil 

 and its ingredients, and its capabiHty of holding 

 in reserve the elements of fertility required by the 

 apple tree. The soils of Canada had been proved, 

 upon careful analysis at the Central Experimental 

 Farm, to be as rich in fertility as the best soils of Europe. Trees take a large 

 part of their nourishment from the air, seizmg upon the carbon dioxide exhaled 

 by animals and converting it into woody tissue, and starchy and carbonaceous 

 matter. The ash remaining from the burning of loo lbs. of wood is usually less 

 than two per cent. These ashes, said the Professor, are said to contain about 

 3/^ of potash, and about 3^ of phosphoric acid, and a much larger proportion 

 of lime. This is according to the analysis of Erdiann in Germany, and on this 

 basis an apple tree would take from the soil for the production of 100 lbs. 

 weight of wood, estimating the ash at two per cent, less than one ounce each of 

 potash and phosphoric acid, and probably not more than three or four ounces 

 of nitrogen. This is all of the important fertilizing constituents of the soil which 

 the tree takes up for the production of 100 lbs. weight of its woody frame, during 

 the whole period of the growth required to produce that weight. 



Let us next consider the constituent parts of the leaves, which, however, 

 are eventually all returned to the soil by their fall and gradual decay. The 

 leaves of several varieties of apples have been analysed by the chemist of the 

 Experimental Farms at different stages in their growth, with the following 

 results : Gathered on the 25th of May, when they were not fully expanded, each 

 100 lbs., contained on an average about ^ of a pound of nitrogen (.742), a 

 fraction less than ^ of a lb. of phosphoric acid (.248), and a fraction over a ^ 

 lb. of potash (.252). 



The mature leaves collected on the 20th of September were found to con- 

 tain, when compared with the newly-expanded leaves, larger percentages of 

 nitrogen and potash, and a smaller proportion of phosphoric acid. The nitrogen 

 was present in the proportion of .867, nearly 9-ioths of one per cent. ; phos- 

 phoric acid .104, or nearly i-5th of a lb. in 100 lbs. ; and the potash .392, or 

 nearly 4-ioths of a lb. in each 100 lbs. of the leaves. 



If we examine the fruit of the apple, we find it to consist mainly of juice, 



