79 



inon wood ashes at the rate of 1 ton per acre ; No. 3, in the 

 middle has not had anything applied to it from the start 

 to finish. No. 4, each year has had ground bone meal at 

 the rate of 600 pounds and muriate of potash, 200 pounds; 

 No. 5, bone meal at the same rate and low grade sulphate 

 «of potash. 



The trees were ordinary nursery stock, two years old 

 when set. In each plot there are four varieties: Graven- 

 steins, Baldwins, Roxbury Russets and R. I. Greenings. 



The differences in growth and in the appearance of the 

 1;rees has been marked. One of the first points is the aver- 

 age circumference of the trees. On the plot to which noth- 

 ing has been applied, the average circumference is 27.9 in. ; 

 where barnyard manure, 38 1-4 in. ; wood ashes, 33 1-4 in. ; 

 bone and muriate of potash, 32 1-4 in. ; bone and low grade 

 sulphate of potash, 37 in. The smallest circumference with 

 no fertilizing, the largest with the barnyard manure.. 



The question naturally arises, whether the quality of 

 the soil was similar to begin with, and to help you to judge 

 of that point, I can only say that it appeared to be uniform 

 .as shown by crops raised there previously. The plots are 

 about square and I should have said that if there was 

 any natural difference, it seemed probable that the soil was 

 a little richer at that end of the orchard to which the 

 manure has been applied. This is a little lower than the 

 other end of the orchard. The surface is a little higher at 

 the bone and sulphate of potash end, still I would expect 

 larger crops of hay at the manure end but it is possible 

 that the soil at the bone and sulphate of potash end may 

 rsuit the trees better. I don't think there was any essential 

 difference in the natural qualities of the soil. 



Quite as important as the size of the trees is the ques- 

 tion of how much fruit the trees have produced for the 

 fruit is what we are after. The total number of barrels 

 of fruit per acre from the time they first began to bear 

 •down to 1909 is as follows: Where there was no manure, 

 the total yield is at the rate of 88 barrels per acre; wood 

 ashes, 286 barrels per acre; bone and muriate of potash, 

 322 barrels per acre ; bone and sulphate of potash, 488 

 barrels per acre ; barnyard manure, 556 barrels per acre. 

 "The bone and sulphate is not so very far behind the barn- 

 yard manure. 



We have fouad considerable individual differences be- 



