TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL MEETING. 



125 



Dr. Jenkins : Well, I do not know of any experiment 

 that has demcnistrated that. I believe strongly that acidity of 

 the soil would be injurious, and while it might not be so much 

 so in the case of one crop as another, 1 do not think that the 

 root filaments would develop in an acid soil. 



A Member : Wlnat is }-our opinion of pasturing sheep 

 in a well fertilized orchard ? 



Dr. Jenkins: Why, it will da some good. It will 

 keep doAvn the grass, and will probably help to conserve the 

 water supply. I think in New York state, the experience has 

 been that hog culture is better than any other. I do not re- 

 member, but I think that sheep came next, and cows and dairy 

 stock last. 



A Member: Does it take the place of a tillage system? 



Dr. Jenkins: It will not perfectly take the place of it, 

 because it will not me so effective. 



A A^ember: I should like to ask if there is any relation 

 between the acidity of the soil, and the use of commercial 

 fertilizers? I find there are a good many who are against 

 muriate of potash, because they claim it will increase the acid- 

 ity of the soil. 



Dr. Jenkins : Yes, some objection can be made to mu- 

 riate and sulphate of potash. If you put either of them on the 

 soil the crop will take up much more potash than it will oi the 

 acid of the soil, and in that way leave the acid in the soil 

 to be neutralized. So that the use of most chemical salts will, 

 to some extent, increase the acidity oi the soil, and that should 

 be corrected, but I do not think it is any argument against 

 their use. In ten years of experiments en a line which evi- 

 dently needed nitrogen, they drove out all the grass by put- 

 ting on sulphate of ammonia, which contained nitrogen which 

 the crop needed, the reason being that the crop took up the 

 nitrogen, and left the acid, and it simply ran out the grass, 

 and they had nothing but sorrel. Then they limed it, and 

 within two years the grass came back again. 



Mr. Kelsey : I would like to ask the Doctor if an ex- 

 cess of lime in the soil has any influence in giving flavor? 



