300 LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 



together or put on separately. 10 to 20 Ibs. of fine-ground 

 bone, according to size of tree and the soil, may be applied 

 in place of the rock phosphate and nitrate of soda. 25 Ibs. 

 of hard-wood ashes with from 2 to 5 Ibs. of nitrate of soda 

 per tree will also make a good dressing. 



A dressing of stable manure under the trees, at the rate 

 of from 5 to 10 cords per acre, according to the soil, will 

 also give a good growth. In all cases the fertilizing- 

 materials should be spread as far as the branches extend. 



If other crops are to be grown on the same land with 

 the apple trees, as in this garden-plan, sufficient plant-food 

 must be added to the above formulae to provide for the 

 growth of all. Either of the above formulas will be suited 

 for the other fruits, used at the rate of about f to 1 ton per 

 acre, but varying them somewhat according to natural con- 

 dition of the soil. If sufficient growth does not result, 

 more fertilizer should be used, and if the growth is too 

 great it should be reduced. 



Thinning the Fruit. 



The apple, like most of our fruit-trees, has the habit of 

 producing fruit only on alternate years, which is the result 

 of exhaustion of the tree by its large crop of fruit, and it 

 takes one year at least for it to regain sufficient vigor to 

 produce another crop. To overcome this condition, the 

 trees should be allowed to bear only a moderate crop and 

 the land be kept in a condition to produce a moderately 

 vigorous growth of the tree. It is the practice of many of 

 the most successful fruit-growers to thin their apple as well 

 as other fruit-crops so that the trees will not be weakened 

 by overbearing. This thinning is done when the fruit is 

 about one third grown, removing all the wormy and im- 



