Io8 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



increased the yield at a profit. Averaging all the plots, the 

 manure or fertilizer cost of each basket of increased yield 

 was nine cents. The fertilizers increased the profitable life 

 of the orchard by at least three years. 



A complete fertilizer was more profitable than a partial 

 one. Chemical fertilizers paid better than stable manure. The 

 cost of manure per basket of increased yield was 11.6 cents 

 and the cost of chemicals per basket was only 4.4 cents. 



These experiments wdiich I have cited seem to me the 

 most decisive and instructive in recent times and I think we 

 are justified in these conclusions regarding the use of com-, 

 rnercial fertilizers and manure in orchards: 



1. A peach or apple orchard in bearing takes from the 

 soil somewhere about 62 pounds of nitrogen, 17 of phosphor- 

 ic acid, 70 of potash and 30 to 40 of lime. 



2. Trees are not as dependent on an annual dressing of 

 fertilizers as most other farm crops, because they have a much 

 larger root surface and can draw on the less soluble part of 

 the soil for a much longer period each year than the latter. 



3. There are soils, probably many of them, which are 

 able to supply enough food for an orchard for fifty years or 

 more without any use of phosphates or potash. It is quite 

 likely, however, that even these will be helped, occasionally 

 at least, by a supply of nitrogen, whether in fomi of direct 

 fertilizers or green manuring with legumes. 



4. There are many other soils where annual dressings 

 with commercial fertilizers will pay abundantly. 



5. It is quite likely that one or more mgredients are 

 already in the soil of many orchards in quantity sufficient for 

 the orchard's needs, and money is lost by using complete fer- 

 tilizers on such orchards. 



6. There is no way of finding out what or how much 

 plant food a particular orchard needs except by testing it in 

 the way I have described, though where orchards are on soils 

 which seem quite alike in their character and position the 

 results in one will probably have a good deal of value for 

 the others. 



