PEACHES, PLUMS AND CHERRIES 327 

 NITROGEN AND ASH INGREDIENTS IN A PEACH CROP OF 390 BASKETS PER ACRE. 



"Nitrogen, 19.7 pounds; potash, 21.9 pounds; soda, 1.2 pounds; lime, 

 1.0 pounds; magnesia, 1.0 pounds; oxide of iron, 0.4 pound; phosphoric acid 

 4.2 pounds; sulph. acid, 1.0 pounds; chlorine, 0.4 pound. 



"Contrary to the commonly received idea, the pulp of the fruit contains 

 the greater part of both the nitrogen and mineral matters. Only about one- 

 fourth of the nitrogen and one-tenth of the ash elements are contained in the 

 stones. While these quantities of nitrogen and mineral matters are smaller 

 than those removed by many other garden or field crops, it does not follow that 

 peach trees need less care for their proper manuring. The quantities of plant 

 food required for the yearly growth of wood and leaves must be considerable. 

 Young twigs contain a larger proportion of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and 

 potash than old wood. But we have no exact data at hand from which to 

 compute the yearly demand of the growing peach tree on the plant food in 

 the soil. Field experiments demonstrate that liberal fertilization is neces- 

 sary to secure the most profitable returns from peach orchards." 



The figures given simply show what is carried off from the acre of land 

 by the crop of peaches, and indicate that an annual return of 20 pounds of 

 nitrogen, 22 of potash and 5 of phosphoric acid will restore to the land what 

 the average peach crop requires, and that 27 pounds of nitrogen, 30 of potash 

 and 7 of phosphoric acid will make good the deficit caused by a maximum 

 crop, provided there are no other sources of loss besides the export 

 of fruit. But it is one thing to return to the soil what the crop has 

 removed and, to some extent, another thing to maintain the fertility of the 

 soil so far as relates to the suitable supply of plant food. 



The active feeders of the tree in the soil are the } r oung rootlets and root 

 hairs that are put forth the current year. The roots of five or two years ago 

 are probably themselves totally incapable of feeding the plant. Even last 

 year's roots are of little use except as they are necessary bases of the new 

 rootlets that develop this year. The young roots of each successive year of 

 growth thus occupy different positions in the soil, and since most of the plant 

 food in the soil is incapable of movement, much of it, at any time, is out of 

 the reach of the rootlets, and to be fertile the acre of soil must contain many 

 pounds of plant food in order to insure to the crop the few pounds which 

 it requires. 



"If the soil is very rich to begin with, the trees may produce well for years 

 without fertilizers, but the New England hills that furnish the best orchard 

 silos, are, as a rule, not fertile, and must be well enriched to make them profit- 

 able. It is now no doubt well known to orchardists that soils have the power 



