412 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



I should use them freely. I should begin with a half ton per acre of 

 lime. It has been my observation that very few old orchards indeed 

 will not respond wonderfully to such an application. We need not 

 discuss the usual methods of determining whether lime is needed, 

 but I am satisfied that even when such tests as litmus paper, for 

 example, fail to indicate a sourness in the soil, an application of a half 

 ton of lime per acre will still be very beneficial to the trees. With 

 apples particularly, but with all fruits more or less, an abundance of 

 lime gives a shorter, stockier growth of wood, and fruit which, though 

 perhaps a little smaller, is more firm, better keeping and more highly 

 colored. This lime application need not be made every year, of course, ' 

 but I should begin with it and should repeat it once in four or five 

 years. 



In addition to this I should give a yearly application of potash and 

 phosphoric acid. For the former, experiments at the Massachusetts 

 Agricultural College seem to indicate that the low-grade sulphate is 

 the best form. If this is used 400 or 500 pounds ought to be applied 

 per acre per year, and it is better applied as early in the season as 

 possible and plowed under. I should favor plowing under all ferti- 

 lizers, as it gets them down where the feeding roots are, and where 

 they will be under such conditions as to make them most quickly 

 available. Of course this is less important with the readily soluble 

 fertilizers, but even with these I should favor turning them under. 

 The other two forms of jiotash used are the high-grade sulphate and 

 the muriate, both of which are used very largely in orchards, and both 

 of which are 50 per cent actual potash, and consequently one gets 

 the required amount of potash with the least amount of material, 

 and so with the least expense. Application of either should be 200 to 

 300 pounds per acre yearly. 



In phosphoric acid one has the choice of several different forms, but 

 probably the best two for the orchardist are Thomas phosphate or 

 basic slag, and one of the superphosphates or acid phosphates. Where 

 one is plowing the land I should favor the use of the basic slag, as, 

 in addition to the phosphoric acid, it contains a large percentage of 

 lime, which will assist in putting the soil in good shape. It will run 

 usually about 15 per cent to 17 per cent of phosphoric acid, and from 

 experience in many orchards it seems to be an admirable form. On 

 the other hand, where one is not able to plow the land, or for any 

 reason has decided not to, the superphosphate is the best form of 

 phosphoric acid, as it is readily soluble, and will therefore get down 

 to the roots of the trees more cjuickly and more certainly than the 

 basic slag. As to quantities per acre or per tree, a good yearly a^Dplica- 

 tion of the slag would be from 300 to 400 pounds per acre, or on scat- 

 tering trees from 8 to 10 pounds per tree. Where the superphosphates 

 are used the quantity applied would vary with the source of the material 

 from which they were manufactured, but probably should be from 

 one-third to one-half less than of the basic slag. These quantities are 



