A Mote on Orchard Fertilizaticn It's almost time lor the spring tonic 

 In apple~orchards, - the allotment of nitrogen which v:crks Vifonders in 

 encouraging better terminal grovrth, making leaves a darker green and in 

 stepping up the per acre yield. But how much nitrogen is enough and net 

 too much. Folks have tried for years to use a "rule of thtmb", by- 

 correlating the nitrogen application vath trunk diameter or age of tree. 

 As a rough guide that's not a bad idea. But neither diameter nor age 

 shovf vmether a tree is starved for nitrogen or at the opposite extreme, 

 getting too much nitrogen. The best indicators of nitrogen needs are 

 (1) last year's terminal grov.d:h, (2) shade of green in the leaves, and 

 (3) color of the fruit. If vegetative grov.-th is excessive, leaves a 

 dark green and fruit color poor, a grower should lay off on nitrogen 

 entirely for a year. And if all of these items indicate nitrogen 

 starvation, double the standard application may be a good investment. 

 It is time \ie quit fertilizing trees as we fertilized them last year, or 

 as a neighbor does. The ideal system involves gauging the fertilizer 

 application to fit the needs of the tree, decreasing the amount v.henever 

 it seems to interfere with the development cf good color. But if a tree 

 is deficient in nitrogen, the yield is reduced and even the Ixintosh 

 variety tends to become biennial. For the correct aniount of nitrogen to 

 be applied — ask the tree. 



F'all vs. Spring Planting of Stravmerries The principal 

 advantage of setting strawberry plants in the fall is that 

 the roots become established Y/hile the air is cool, and before 

 top groYrth begins. But if fall set plants are not mulched 

 they are likely to suffer from v/inter injury and actually make 

 a poorer shovdng than plants set in early spring. Thus the 

 grower must mulch his planting tv/ice for one crop of berries. 

 Fall planting is much better than late spring but little, if any, 

 better under our conditions than early spring. 



Girdled Trees? Then you may be interested in an 

 excellent publication vAich illustrates and describes 

 the practice of "Bridge Grafting". It is Farriers' 

 Bulletin No. 1369. A copy is available from your 

 County Extension Office or from the ivlailing Room ax 

 the University. -x- -y- -;;- -;- -;:- -;:• -;.- ■;;- ■>;- -:;- -;;- ■;;- -;;- -» 



* COUNTY AGENTS' CORIIER 



Try This for Size An apple tree in 



Footnote to a Spray Schedule 

 D. T. Thayer, FrankTin Ccun ty 



a crowded orchard pruned as follovv-s: -;;- Vegetable grower Gilbert S. ..at-„r, 



Side limbs removed because of interfer- -;;- no stranger to the edible root, stem, 



ence. Lc^k/er limbs removed to facilitate -;;- and leaf clan as co-author cf "the be ok" 



mowing. Center liinbs removed to adiait -;;- among vegetable texts, journeyed to 



light. Top limbs removed because too -;,^ Amherst from his home acres in Pennsyl- 



high. — A special case? Not at all. -;;- vania during January to talk on the 



Only one or the many trees in -;;- annual Vegetable Day Program. 



Massachusetts cvmed by men who v/ant to .;;. 



get "one more crop" before removing .;;. to those of us fortunate tc catch 



ever^/ other diagonal row. -x- one-half of the ./atts family it L^ecai.e 



