state; pomological society. 37 



material but to add it in such a manner and in such a way that 

 the trees will get the benefit of it. For this reason I would not 

 fertilize on the top of the greensward under a tree, in this case 

 because the grass would steal the greater part of it, and we are 

 fertilizing the trees. 



My method and what I would recommend would be to keep the 

 orchard under the plow. We are not all situated as Smiley of 

 Vassalboro, or DeCoster, is, — have a large lot of waste pasture 

 land where we can put in a great flock of sheep and let them 

 feed during the day and then drive them up on to the orchard on 

 the top of the hill and yard them in, stealing from this waste 

 land and pasture and bringing it to the orchard. Most people 

 are obliged to fertilize their orchards either with barnyard 

 manure or commercial fertilizers purchased, and to these I say 

 the time has come when we must raise our best fruit and our best 

 trees on cultivated soil as we would any other crop. It is what 

 they are doing all through the western country, through New 

 York State, for years. If we wish to raise fruit when other 

 people have no fruit, get it year after year, get our big crops, put 

 in the plow and keep them cultivated. Begin to plow as soon 

 as the trees are set. Plow lightly ; keep the roots below. I 

 would not advise going into your old orchards and putting the 

 plow in deep and tearing the roots to pieces and ruining the trees. 

 If you have an old orchard that requires this, put your plow in and 

 just barely turn the turf; then get your turf rotted and keep it 

 down with the cultivator and harrow. Then whatever is put 

 upon this soil the trees get the full benefit of. 



The constituents called for in the tree are the same as for any 

 crop, but perhaps in different proportion. They call for a cer- 

 tain amount of nitrogen to keep the foliage in good thrifty con- 

 dition, for without this you can have no good fruft nor no good 

 growth of the tree. But too much nitrogen will grow you foliage 

 at the expense of fruit. Potash in large quantity is called for, 

 for 60% I think of the fruit, ash of the fruit, is potash and quite 

 a large per cent, of the tree. A small amount of prosphoric 

 acid, smaller than is needed for some crops ; lime ; you will find 

 trees growing in a limestone soil make a gopd thrifty, vigorous 

 growth and ripen their wood early so that they stand our hard 

 winters. Therefore in some of your soils it may be necessary 

 to add a little lime. It is impossible to tell how much of each 



