-6- 



The trees set in 19US received an -;!• an insulator and ke:-ps Lhe soil ai a ;.v i- 

 adequate amount of rainfall during the ^> unifonn temperature throughout the day 

 growing season and the trees set in the * and night, 

 sod plots made more satisfactory growth ■«• 



than those in the cultivated plots. The ^^ A few years ago I had occasion to 

 rate of tree growth for the trees in -x- propagate a privot hedge by making 

 the tvra systems was similar for succeed- "- cuttings and these were placed in ?. very 

 ing seasons. There has been no -5^ light, sandy soil. While the bed was 

 apparent difference in the rate of tree ■«• kept vrell watered, it seemed apparent 

 grovrth, as indicated by trunk circum- ■»■ to me that the cuttings were not growing 

 ference, between the various fertilizer "■'<■ as they should, so about the luiddle of 

 treatments up to the present time. This -x- June I tried a very interesting exptri- 

 vrould indicate that nitrogen was not a * ment. The cutting bed v;a3 thoroughly 

 limiting factor in this soil type. --- wet dcim and a light application of 



-«■ fertilizer (5-10-10) vras applied as a t^.p 

 This investigator found a corre- ^:- dressing. Cne half of the bed was ther. 

 lation between the leaf color and leaf --'<■ mulched with about tvro inches of sawdust, 

 nitrogen. Leaf color was determined by ^'- and the other half v/as left for clean 

 a photo-electric reflection meter. ■'■■- cultivation. Both part? of the bed 



-;;- received the same treatment in regard to 

 Results from this experiment would * irrigation, but I vias amazed to notice 

 indicate that on this soil tjT'^j • "■■ '"' that within tvra weeks- the part of the 

 soil ..-oir.turo ;7.'.s.a .r.oro iT;iortant ' ^'' bed mulched with sawdust took on a darker 

 factor th.:in nitrogen. The reaults also -"• green color and started a luxuriant 

 indicate that in seasons with adequate -«'- growth. In fact, the bed mulched vidth 

 rainfall, peach trees made as good -"- savirdust grew so much faster than the 

 growth under sod 'as under a cultivation- -x- unmulched that 1 became more interested 

 cover crop system of management during --- in speeding up the growth of the small 

 their first three years in the orchard. -:;- plants, so terminated the experLaent at 



-:;- the end of six weeks,- and applied a saw- 

 ..-- J. F. Anderson -)s- dust mulch to that portion of the bed 

 -;- -;'r -.;- -;;- -;;- -;;- -;;- -;;- -;;- ■;;- -is- -;;- ■>'<■ ^;- -;;- -;;- ic- -;;- -;!- -;;--;><•■);- that had none. It vras of interest tc 

 note that here again the response was remarkable and v/hile the color and gro^vth 

 became uniform that portion of the bed v^hioh was unmulched during the six weeks 

 period never did attain the height of the other section. 



It seems__ to me that this experiment has a lesson of great value tc all horti- 

 culturists, and as I pondered the reasons for the difference in growth, I uas 

 satisfied that it must have been due entirely to the insulating effect of the saw- 

 dust and that the ' temperature under the sawdust must have been many degrees cooler 

 than the unmulched area. Unfortunately, this bright idea did not occur to me in 

 time ao. that I could actually measure the temperature differences with a thermometer, 

 30 I was particularly interested this year in observing a similar case in relation 

 to blueberries. 



Bill Richards had set out about ten acres of blueberries this past spring, ana 

 at the time of planting mulched them with three or four inches of sawdust and 

 shavings. One section of the field had only one application of water during the 

 jxtreme prolonged drought experienced when we had practically no rain from the 25tl' 

 of May to' the first of September. Despite this abnormal situation, the plants 

 laade a fair to moderate growth.- On the area that was irrigated twice, the grovrth 

 , '.vas excellent. Another planting on a nearby farm without mulch resulted in stuntea 

 ■^rovrth and the loss of 20 to ?.S% of the plants. 



