231 



j>rovided the draft on the soil water is not too great, be- 

 cause when you have a large crop of grass you use up a large 

 amount of soil water and you might use up enough to stunt 

 the growth of the trees. It depends entirely on the slope 

 and texture of the land, the rain fall, etc., but that is a prac- 

 tical, economical way of increasing the supply of nitrogen 

 in the soil that would gradually become availa1)le, or, of 

 course, if you can ])uy cheap grass, sedge hay or something 

 of that sort to mulch, that will answer the purpose. 



ME. RICP]: I would like to ask the speaker if he would 

 recommend putting one hundred to two hundred pounds of 

 salt on a peai-h oi-cliard this year when he cannot get the 

 potash ? 



PROFP]SSOR LTPI\rAN: I would say yes, I think you 

 Avill find it Avorth wliile. 



A MEIMBER: AVill the speaker explain the difference 

 between salt and nitrate of soda? 



PROPEHSOR LIPMAX: Both are salt of soda, but one 

 is a chloride of soda and the other is a nitrate of soda; one 

 contains the element nitrogen and the other does not; both 

 are readily soluble and they help to make potash available 

 because the soluble soda salts and the soda in the salt reacts 

 Avith the insoluble potash compounds in the soil and makes 

 them available, Init while nitrate of soda would furnish 

 jiitrogen and soda, it avouIcI also increase the supply of avail- 

 able potash in the soil. Common salt furnishes no plant food 

 in itself, but the soda in it Avould ser\'e to make available a 

 greater amount of soil potash. 



A MEMBER : Would pond muck be beneficial to bear- 

 ing apple trees, common pond muck, provided carbonate of 

 lime Avere added to it? 



PROFESSOR LIPMAX: Yes, decidedly so. I Avould, 

 imder all circumstances, adAase the addition of carbonate of 

 lime and Ave advise farmers in our State to use carbonate of 

 lime with common mud or muck or peat for additions to 

 soil. 



