229 



Manure is too expensive a fertilizer for us under those con- 

 ditions. 



MR. WINSOR OF RHODE ISLAND : How about using 

 salt, mixing it with some other things, as a top dressing for 

 grass f 



PROFESSOR LIP]\[AN : We have done this very thing 

 and others that I know have done the same. A lot of salt 

 that we bought last year was graunlar, about the si^e of 

 barley or wheat grains, and we mixed it with acid phosphate 

 c^nd sulphate of ammonia and nitrate of soda. We have no 

 rliffieulty in distributing it in our fertilizer distributor. I'm 

 afraid that if there is any trouble at all, it is apt to occur 

 in a wet season, and if the materials are mixed for some 

 time before they are applied. Ordinarily in average dry 

 weather, I do not anticipate any trouble at all, the material 

 will dry very nicely and could be all applied at once. 



]\IR. RKTTARDS : The gentleman spoke of nitrogen as 

 being a thing that we demand. Isn't it generally consid- 

 ered among fruit growers that nitrogen is a grand thing to 

 make trees grow? T want my orchard to grow two' or three 

 feet annually, on the smaller trees, which I do not expect to 

 bear fruit, but on my grown trees I do not propose to use 

 nitrogen to such extent; and isn't it generally considered 

 that the nitrogen should be mostly for the growth of tho 

 trees but not so much for the perfection of the fruit? I 

 speak of apples, now. 



PROFESSOR LIP:^[AN : It should be for ])oth. I think 

 1 stated that in our peach orchard we have found increased 

 production as we increased the amoimt of nitrate of soda. 

 The land itself was not able to supply the maximum need of 

 the trees. Everybody knows that available nitrogen, in 

 considerable amounts, tends to prolong the vegetative 

 period of the crop and tends to be responsible for a great 

 deal of unripe wood and winter killing, and if we use nitro- 

 gen in sufficiently large amounts, we are apt to have all 

 wood and no fruit. I assume, of course, that we use nitro- 

 gen with discrimination, and I take it that every progressive 



