98 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



healthy, vigorous, productive and profitable for as long- a time 

 as can be. 



The question involves more than just a matter of three 

 elements of plant food and the best forms in which to use 

 them. It concerns the use of what is in the soil already, the 

 supply of water and of soil bacteria, and the aeration of the 

 roots as well. I shall therefore have to discuss other things 

 besides what chemicals we sow under our trees. 



In the first place, what do we take out of the soil of our 

 orchards every year in leaves, wood and fruit? We have 

 data from three states on that point. The follov/ing table 

 the result of work done at the New York Station^ shows 

 the quality of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, potash, lime and 

 magnesia taken in one year by the leaves, fruit and new 

 wood of apple, peach, pear, plum, and. quince trees in full 

 bearing. What more went into the mature wood could not 

 be determined, but probably it is not large, for the New Jer- 

 sey Station- found that on the basis of dry matter the new 

 twigs of the peach trees have from three to five times as 

 much plant food in them as the mature wood, and we may, 

 I think, infer the same proportion in other orchard trees. 



TABLE I. 



Pounds of Nitrogen, Etc., Used Per Acre by Different Parts of 



Tree in One Year. 



(New York Station Bulletin 265.) 



Phosphoric 

 Variety of fruit tree. Nitrogen. Acid. Potash. Lime. Magnesia. 



IN THE FRUIT: 



Apple 20.0 8.5 45.0 3.9 6.4 



Peach 17.5 8.6 36.0 2.2 4.1 



Pear 9.0 3.2 20.2 2.2 2.6 



Plum 13.3 4.7 18.5 4.4 3.0 



Quince 22.0 10.0 44.4 3.4 6.0 



Average 16.4 7.0 32.8 3.2 4.4 



IN THE LEAVES: 



Apple 30.3 4.8 9.5 49.7 16.3 



Peach 50.4 8.0 32.9 94.6 28.5 



Pear 18.5 3.0 10.7 30.7 7.2 



Plum 13.2 2.9 17.6 26.8 8.5 



Quince 20.4 4.1 9.8 46.1 11.0 



Average 26.6 4.6 16.1 49.6 14.3 



* New York State Station Bulletin 265. 

 = New Jersey Station Report 1906, p. 200. 



