HOW TO SUPPLY PLANT FOODS 



As a guide to the application of the proper materials sepa- 

 rately, we would say that the following proportions are about 

 right for a balanced tree diet: 100 pounds of nitrate of soda; 

 100 pounds of South Carolina rock; 200 pounds of ground 

 bone; 200 pounds of muriate of potash. The amount to be 

 used depends upon how much the trees need; for instance, 

 large old apple trees would require more than young apple 

 trees; peaches would require more than strawberries; run- 

 down orchards would need more than those well fed. 



Apples in full bearing, and on loose soil, may receive as high 

 as 1,000 pounds of muriate of potash to the acre. A normal ap- 

 plication, however, would be from 150 to 300 pounds. In the 

 best orchards, growers believe that large applications of all 

 the elements, of course in the right proportions, will pay more 

 proportionately than the smaller ones. Generally there is a 

 limit to both the smallest and the largest quantities that 

 are profitable to apply, but don't use fertilizer blindly. You 

 will waste it if you do. Give the trees the elements they lack. 

 See that they have as much of each kind as they need. More 

 will do no good; less will reduce growth and production. Good 

 treatment all along the line is what brings good results. 



To get the chemical fertilizer on the ground evenly is vitally 

 important. A drill is the thing to use if you do not want to 

 do it by hand. For the first few years at least it usually is best 

 to apply to each tree, by hand, the exact quantity which you 

 decide is needed. This should be scattered over a space twice 

 as wide as the branches cover. The old idea that roots go only 

 as far as limbs has been proven wrong time and again. Roots 

 will cover three times that diameter. If limbs are eight feet 

 long, you can depend on finding roots twenty or more feet 

 in every direction. 



Barnyard manure seldom is good for bearing trees. It con- 

 tains too much nitrogen and causes sappy, out-of -season growth; 

 it likewise has too many weed seeds for comfort. It does good 

 work, however, around young trees, where it can be used as a 

 mulch. These need nitrogen with which to build a frame of 

 wood quickly. If it is used, apply it early in the spring, as soon 

 as the winter surplus of water has run off, and then sow a 

 cover crop early in July to take up excess nitrogen. 



It is impossible to lay down rules for the best handling 

 of all orchards. Each piece of land must be studied sepa- 

 rately. After a bit one will know what is needed, and can base 

 his work on experience and observation. Keep your eye on 

 the individual trees. The first year give them what you think 

 they ought to have. If they respond, you have hit upon the 

 right thing. Bear in mind, though, that three-fourths of the 

 results of feeding trees appear in the second and third years 

 after the food materials are supplied. 



Experiment with different combinations and amounts of 

 fertilizer. You can in this way learn what is best. Each tree 

 is an individual. Feed it according to its needs. After a num- 

 ber of years of intelligent treatment, all trees in an orchard 

 can be brought into uniform condition, so the whole orchard 



