UNITED STATES DEFART.:t:KT OF AGRICULTUIE 

 MD COUNTY EXTENSION SERVICES IN AGRICULTURE AKTD 

 HOLE ECONOMICS COOPERATING 



FRUIT NOTES - January, 193^ 



W. H. Thles 

 Extension Horticulturist 



N eed of Potash and Phor.phorus In the Orchnrd 



Most fruit growers are familiar vith the pioneer v/ork 

 of the Geneva Experiment Station from v/hlch they concluc'ed that 

 fertilizing a cultivated orchard wa.s a waste of money. In more 

 recent years they have found ■^hat in some experim.nnts the trees 

 have responded to nitrogen. Now comes a "bulletin discussinrr 

 potash and phosphorus in relation to organic matter. (Bui. No. 679? 

 Potash and Phorphorus in Relation to Organic Matter in Ne"' York 

 Orchards, by R. C. Colllson). Tne author concludes that a de- 

 ficiency of these elements will be greatly delayed in orchards 

 (l) on the better fruit soils, (?) where farm manure or hauled 

 in mulch is used liberally, (3) where good cover crops can still 

 be grown, and (k) wrhere a good- grass sod can be maintained. 

 Potash and phosphorus may be needed on (l) light soils naturally 

 low in these elements, (2) whore drainage is poor, (3) on soils 

 subject to sheet erosion, (^) on excessi-'-'ely cultivated soils 

 with consequently low organic matter, and (5) where ther^ is ex- 

 cessive use of nitrogen. Where there is a possibility of a lack 

 of potash and phosphorus, the author suggests that they be tried 

 on 8 part of the orchard and the results observed, before using 

 them generally. 



These conc"'uslons agree very ■"'ell with our experiences 

 at Amherst. 'Yhlle nitrogen is most often deficient and it does not 

 yet appear that all of our orcharu.s need the other two elem.ents, 

 there may be cases ^'here their use in addition to nitrogen will 

 be profitable. This quoiition must bo answered for each individual 

 orchard, J. K. Shaw. 



Recent Cold Weather and the 193g Peach Cro p 



In spite of very lo^ tem^^eratures during the morning 

 of January I9 the -orospect for a peach crop in the College or- 

 chard is otill good. The official thermometer bac"-': of Stock- 

 bridge Hall registerod -120 F. A minimum thermometer in the -Deach 

 orchard registered -17° li". Another m.lnimum thermometer placed in 

 a hollo^'' about 2^0 y-^rds from the poach orchard registered -2^°. 

 This emnhaslzes again the great difference in minimum tempera- 

 tures which may occur within a small area and the necessity for 

 locating pench orchard;.G so as to avoid cold spots. Although the 

 temperature in the peach orchard reached 17 below zero, the amount 

 of bud. killing on seven varieties, selected to give a range from 

 the tenderect to the hardiest, ivas only '+ to 11 per cent. This 

 is no gr-^ater than would be expected during a mild "'inter. 



J. S. Bailey. 



