Io6 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



(1) Manure 100.0 



(5) Bone and Low-Grade Sulphate 87.7 



(4) Bone and Muriate 58.0 



(2) Wood Ashes 51.5 



(3) Nothing 15.8 



The effect of manure, which gave the largest yield, is 

 not due alone to the plant food, but also to the humus and its 

 effect on the water in the soil. The complete fertilizers on 4 

 and 5 yielded more fruit than wood ashes, which supplied 

 potash and phosphoric acid with lime, and the very large gain 

 over unfertilized soil is clear. The higher yield from low- 

 grade sulphate as compared with muriate is also quite 

 marked. 



Regarding quality. Director Brooks says : "There has 

 been no doubt as to the fact that on the whole the product of 

 plot 5 (bone and sulphate of potash) has been considerably 

 superior in color and general attractiveness as well as in 

 firmness of flesh to the product of plot 4 (bone and muriate), 

 while the product from plot 1 (stable manure) ranks below 

 either of the others in the qualities just mentioned." 



He also notes that the trees on 5 (bone ineal and low- 

 grade sulphate) are much larger than on 4 (bone and muri- 

 ate)- — or, indeed, than any except those which had manure. 

 To what this apparent superiority of the low-grade sulphate 

 is due the writer does not offer any decided opinion, but is 

 experimenting further to find out. 



As to cost, he finds that the hoed crops and hay up to 

 1902 more than paid for the fertilizers applied and that the 

 increased yield? have much more than paid for the cost of 

 the fertilizers. 



The experiments of the Maine Station, summarized by 

 Munson^^, were continued for ten years on an orchard of the 

 Tolman variety, eight to ten years old, on virgin pasture on 

 a high, rocky, sandy hillside. The whole was dressed at the 

 start with 500 pounds per acre of steamed bone. Half the 

 orchard (40 trees) was plowed and harrowed, the other half 

 mulched partly with sawdust and partly with manure. On 

 each half 12 trees were not further fertilized, 28 trees were 



" Maine Station Bulletin 155. 



