474 



BULLETIN 229. 



Commercial fertilizers, including wood ashes, have been used in 24 per 

 cent of the area. These are usually applied in combination with manure. 

 Fertilizers without nitrogen or low in nitrogen are usually used. Some- 

 times the phosphorus is also omitted. 



Cover-crops. Cover-crops were reported as having been used in 3 per 

 cent of the area examined. They have probably been used more than 

 this indicates. Many kinds have been tried, but the majority of the men 

 who use cover-crops favor common red clover or buckwheat. Crimson 

 clover, rye, vetch, rape, alfalfa and others have been used to some extent. 



TABLE 7. 

 Summary of fertilizers used on mature orchards. 



Kinds of commercial fertilizers. 



As already suggested under tillage, it would seem to be desirable to 

 replace some of the manure by tillage and cover-crops. In estimating 

 the profitableness of various methods, farmers usually underestimate the 

 cost and value of manure. But unless tillage and cover-crops are used, 

 the danger is that too little rather than too much manure will be applied. 

 A very few orchards have possibly received a little too much. 



PRUNING. 



In about half of the orchards the pruning is good or fair. In n per 

 cent it is entirely neglected. Very long stubs were left in 17 per cent, 

 and rather bad stubs in 7 per cent more. In 7 per cent the large lower 



