Soils, Fertilizers and Irrigation 167 



Bones for Grape Vines. 



/ am goiug to plant out soi>ic grape vines, and would like to know 

 if it is a good plan to put old bones, broken up Une, into the holes 

 when planting. 



Yes, if you do not use too much and it is mixed with earth, 

 a little beyond the touch of the roots at planting. You do not 

 need to finely break the bones. The roots will take care of that. 

 But do not put in too much coarse stuflf, for fear of causing too 

 rapid drainage. 



Reviving Blighted Trees. 



/ have a couple of apple trees here that were hurt by the pear blight 

 three years ago and zvere cut back since then; they come out each year, 

 but the leaves curl up, and they do not do anything. I zvould like to know 

 if putting any fertilizer around them zvould help them to put out their 

 leaves, and if so what I should use? 



Put some stable manure on the top of the soil around your trees 

 now so that the rains may reach the contents of the soil, then later 

 in the season dig the manure into the soil. Apply water during the 

 summer time and this will encourage the trees to grow, if there is 

 any vigor remaining in them. This treatment, however, will not 

 protect them from the blight. 



Fertilizing Pear Orchard. 



/ have pear trees 15 years old zvhich have fruited heavily for years 

 and have never been fertilised. What is the best fertiliser for the soil 

 which is heavy, and when is the best time to apply it? I intend planting 

 rye to plozv under in the spring, but thought possibly the fertiliser should 

 be applied first. 



If you have stable manure available, nothing could be better 

 for the feeding of the trees and for its mellowing eflfect upon your 

 heavy soil. Application can be made at once, to be worked into 

 the land when the rye is sown. It will help the trees and give you 

 more rye which in the end will help the trees. If you have no stable 

 manure available, what is called by the dealers a "complete fer- 

 tilizer" for orchard purposes is what you should use and apply it 

 when you work the land for rye. 



Fertilizing Olives. 



What is the best means of fertilising an olive orchard? My orchard 

 gives me a perfect quality of oil, but a poor quantity. My soil is dry 

 calcareous, red and gray, and is z'cry thin i)i places, therefore, it lacks 

 moisture. 



An olive orchard can be fertilized with stable manure or with 

 a "complete fertilizer," or with the special brands of different manu- 

 facturers of special fruit fertilizers. But you must be sure that 

 your trees do not need moisture more than they need fertilizers, for 



