48 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



sists of about 3% of nitrogen, 8% of potash and 6% of phos- 

 phoric acid. But I do not care to speak definitely upon this 

 formula until next year, when I hope to report some comparisons 

 for your consideration. 



I am to speak this afternoon, and very briefly, I can assure 

 you, upon the experiments which are in progress and which were 

 referred to by previous speakers. As you know, for the last six 

 years the Experiment Station has been conducting som.e work 

 with reference to the use of fertilizers and the cultivation and 

 management of orchards. \Ye have compared a high grade 

 complete fertilizer with stable manure, and w'e have compared 

 cultivation with mulching. The results of these experiments 

 up to the spring of 1903 are fully detailed in Bulletin No. 89 of 

 the Experiment Station, and if any of you are interested in the 

 details of this work I would simply suggest that you send for a 

 copy of that bulletin, rather than weary you with those details 

 at the present time. In brief, however, I may say that the results 

 from cultivation have been to render the foliage more luxuriant, 

 to increase the growth to a greater extent, and on the whole to 

 give a larger crop of fruit than has been the case with the 

 orchards which were mulched. I shall show you on the screen 

 tonight by means of the lantern some pictures which have been 

 taken in that orchard, and they will speak more loudly tl^an any 

 words that I can use with reference to the results which have 

 there been attained. 



I may say without hesitation that, from the results of our 

 actual commercial work in these orchards, there can be little 

 question as to the advantage of cultivation upon orchards where 

 cultivation is possible. I may also say that upon those fields — 

 and there are very many of them in the State of Maine — where 

 cultivation is not practicable, as upon some of our rocky hills in 

 Franklin county, mulching has been found most efficient. 



The use of cover crops, which I may refer to briefly here, is 

 not a part of the work at ]Manchester. It is a part of the orchard 

 work which we are conducting at the Experiment Station at 

 Orono, and in some of the orchards in other parts of the State. 

 I will not present any figures with reference to the amount of 

 nitrogen, phosphoric acid, etc., that are added to the soil by 

 means of cover crops. I will say, however, that everv vear at 



