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nitrogenous food which tends to stimulate a very strong wood 

 growth hate in the season. The trees having the root systems 

 such as we have described, long and spreading, and having 

 sent out an abundance of feeding roots all along these origi- 

 nal main roots in response to improved conditions, are sure 

 to take up an unusual amount of this plant food, much more 

 than trees which have had regular care from the beginning, 

 and which therefore have more compact root systems. The 

 result is that the growth is continued very late in the season, 

 that the new laj^er of tissue between the old bark and wood 

 does not ripen up in the autumn as it should, and that when 

 cold weather comes on it is no better fitted to withstand freez- 

 ing than a potato or a cabbage, and is destroyed during the 

 winter. Soon after this the bark separates from the wood, 

 and the tree dies if the bark has been killed all round, or is 

 seriously weakened if only part way. For these reasons, as 

 I said in the beginning, I should advise withholding nitrog- 

 enous fertilizers almost entirely the first season. If the soil 

 has any fertility to it at all the cultivation and consequent 

 improved physical condition will liberate all the nitrogen 

 that the trees need to make an entirely satisfactory growth. 

 But of course these arguments do not apply to other fer- 

 tilizers, and I should use them freely. I should begin with 

 one or two tons of lime per acre. It has been my observation 

 that very few old orchards indeed will not respond wonder- 

 fully to such an application. We need not discuss the usual 

 methods of determining whether lime is needed, but I am 

 satisfied that even when such tests as litmus paper, for exam- 

 ple, fail to indicate a sourness in the soil, an application of a 

 half ton of lime per acre will still be very beneficial to the 

 trees. With apples particularly, but with all fruits more or 

 less, an abundance of lime gives a shorter, stockier growth of 

 wood, and fruit which, though perhaps a little smaller, is 

 more firm, better keeping and more highly colored. This 

 lime application need not be made every year, of course, but 

 I should begin with it and should repeat it once every four 

 or five years. 



In addition to this I should give a yearly application of 



