The next factor to take up will be that of cultivation, 

 end this is important as affecting the annual bearing of our 

 trees. Remember this, that these factors that I shall bring 

 to you to-day — I am speaking from conditions in 

 the State of Maine and those only. If some of 

 these things, some of these suggestions that I may offer will 

 apply to your conditions here, why well and good. By 

 cultivating the orchards early in the Spring, here is an im- 

 portant thing, if we are to s.tart out to get results, we must 

 nrst grow the wood. It is very important then that we be- 

 gin to till the orchard early in the Spring, as soon as the 

 ground can be comfortably worked, and this has a tendency, 

 by airing and lightening the soil, to force an early growth 

 on the trees so that we will get practically all the wood 

 growth we care to have on those trees in the month of June. 

 Now, an orchard should be harrowed once a week up to 

 probably July 1st. under normal conditions, when the 

 growth should be checked ; and right along with this subject 

 let us consider the fertilization part of it, because this is a 

 large factor in many cases. If Ave are going to fertilize the 

 orchard, when are we going to do it? Now, probably one of 

 the largest factors in this annual bearing of fruit trees is 

 the control of soil moisture and the element of nitrogen, so 

 it would be impossible to lay down any fast and set rules as 

 to how we should handle this fertilization problem ; it is an 

 individual problem of every one of us fruit growers, and we 

 should learn to consider these as our problems and try to 

 demonstrate, under our own conditions, what is the best fer- 

 tilizer and how much should be applied to the orchard. If 

 Ave are to properly fertilize, it should be applied just as soon 

 as the ground is plowed in the early Spring. This, well in- 

 i^orporated with the soil early, makes the plant food avail- 

 able to start, as I said, by tillage, the growth of the trees 

 early. 



The next important thing in connection Avith this 

 fertilization problem is what kind of fertilizer are Ave to 

 apply to the orchard? Let us consider Avhat are the results 



