necessary amount of food from the soil, otherwise they cannot perform 

 their functions properly. These trees are, when bearing, very exhaustive 

 to the soil, as they are always abstracting from it materials in the same 

 proportions. In the case of an ordinary farm or garden crop, by 

 changing the plants, as some absorb different materials to others, the 

 drain can be more equalized. There may be naturally a large amount 

 of plant food in the soil, which the trees may draw upon for a consider- 

 able time, but sooner or later the land must become exhausted more or 

 less, without assistance from the cultivator. A great many trees fail pre- 

 maturely through the lack of proper nourishment. Sometimes they will 

 grow to some extent, but fail to produce crops, through some deficiency 

 in the soil. The dropping of the blossom without setting, or the young 

 fruit after it has set, is, in many cases, the result of the lack of proper 

 food for the trees. Old fruit trees will often require a dressing of manure 

 to keep them in a thrifty condition ; without this assistance they cannot 

 possibly give satisfactory returns to the cultivator when the land has 

 become more or less exhausted. The condition of these trees and the 

 returns they give should be a sufficient guide to cultivators as to when 

 manure is required. If growth is not satisfactory, and the trees have 

 been treated well in other respects, it is certain that the plant requires 

 some kind of food. It must also be borne in mind that the food 

 requirements of trees are many, as various substances are necessary to 

 insure perfect growth. Among these substances are several minerals, 

 such as lime, potash, silica, phosphoric acid, magnesia, and others, all of 

 which are essential to the growth of the trees. Sometimes a soil may 

 fail through one or more of these minerals being absent, while others 

 are there in abundance, as the minimum governs the whole. Soils 

 naturally contain often but small proportions of some of these essential 

 minerals, and, as a consequence, they soon become infertile. 



The following table shows how essential minerals are removed from 

 the soil by fruit crops : 



SOME ANALYSES OF 100 PARTS OF FRUIT-ASHES. 



