HOW TO GROW AND MARKET FRUIT 



pure. Leaves and fruit have only a trace, but fruit will grow and 

 mature in a shorter time, and therefore ripen earlier, or rather 

 more completely and uniformly, when trees have plenty of lime 

 than it will when they do not. The fruit also is likely to have 

 a higher color. For these reasons, lime can be said to have a 

 small food value. It can hardly be classed with the foods, 

 however, and its chief value comes indirectly. 



Lime should be worked into the surface of the ground 

 never plowed under. Harrow or disk it in. It should be put 

 on evenly, with a lime spreader or drill whenever possible. 

 On sod, even distribution over surface is all that is needed. 

 It may go on at any time in the year, but better avoid the 

 months from July until November, as then it might, by re- 

 leasing insoluble plant food, result in forcing fall growth 

 of trees a bad thing always. From 500 to 1,000 pounds to 

 the acre, 16 to 35 bushels, will produce a good effect on light 

 land. Generally it is profitable to use a ton or more, say 50 to 

 80 bushels, on an acre of heavy land. The amount to use 

 depends on the kind of soil. The amount of humus in the soil 

 largely determines the amount of lime to use. Light land will 

 be burned by using more than 20 to 25 bushels. With heavy 

 clover or other sod to act upon, you can use lime more liber- 

 ally. 



Pulverized lime usually is the best form in which to buy and 

 use lime. Lump lime, air-slaked in piles, or new-process lime, 

 which is lump lime slaked by steam, are good also, although only 

 90 per cent as efficient, and twice as heavy and twice as bulky. 

 A pound of ground limestone will do half the work of a pound 

 of lime. In using ground limestone, there is more than double 

 the weight to handle. The best form in which to buy depends 

 on three things the cost to you, the freight to your field, and 

 the efficiency, or "strength," of what you get. 



Every orchardist must learn the supreme importance of 

 serving food to his trees on a table properly laid. Trees are 

 particular. By continued study of actual conditions, and by 

 accumulating outside information, every one can learn what 

 to do to put his soil into the right shape. 



SUPPLYING PLANT FOOD 



In feeding trees, the first things to consider, after putting 

 the soil into the best shape possible, are the needs of your 

 particular orchard. No two pieces of land are alike. Wide 

 differences often will be found within a hundred yards, and 

 these varying conditions call for the food elements in varying 

 proportions. 



When trees have dark leaves, bright-colored bark, and grow 

 a foot or more of new wood each year, they are getting about 

 enough nitrogen, and all you have to do is to keep the supply 

 at the present rate. It is possible to provide too much nitro- 

 gen, especially in bearing orchards. Trees are suffering from 

 a lack of nitrogen when the leaves are light-colored and when 

 they ripen and fall early in autumn, when the bark is dull 



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