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used. I have talked to other peach growers in South Jer- 

 sey and they admit that where the trees > are set so close 

 together as to make the supply of nitrogen through cover 

 crops impracticable, the use in the spring of readily avail- 

 able nitrogenous fertilizers is necessary if the size and 

 ((uantity of fruit is to be secured. 



One of the old writers that I quoted a few moments ago 

 points out very clearly — I am sure I could not improve on 

 his statement when he says that the fruit grower himself 

 tihould be the judge whether his trees need fertilizer or not. 

 He says if the annual t^ng growth is two or three feet or 

 more, the chances are that the land is supplying enough 

 plant food for the needs of the trees. ])ut every fruit grower, 

 as he puts it, can decide with certainty that if the tAvig 

 growth is less than one foot per annum, his trees need plane 

 food. I take it that every progressive fruit grower is quite 

 familiar with these facts and relations and that for me it 

 would hardly be worth while to dwell on them to any great 

 extent. 



I do think however that it might be of interest to you 

 to consider, in the first place, that because of the heavy 

 draught on the plant food resources of the soil, the trees 

 must be supplied either from the soil resources or from out- 

 sMe sources. If the soil, as may be shown by analysis, is 

 rich enough in plant food, particularly manurial plant food, 

 the use of commercial fertilizers may not be a matter of 

 importance. 



If the soils are not naturally well supplied with plant 

 iood, the use of commercial fertilizers or of other material 

 containing plant food, sooner or later will become a matter 

 of great importance ; hence let us take a little time in 

 answering the question whether, under average conditions, 

 the plant food in the soil becomes available fast enough to 

 5'upply the needs of the tree? There is a great deal of mis- 

 conception on this point. We are led to think that because 

 the trees have a long growing season, it is the amount which 

 may become available throughout the growing season that 



